


Breathe Me

by lizardwriter



Category: Skins (UK)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-07-25
Updated: 2011-09-28
Packaged: 2017-12-12 11:29:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 23,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/811083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lizardwriter/pseuds/lizardwriter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Naomi's a competitive swimmer and she enjoys her life just being her and the water, but the new girl in school might just make her have to rethink things.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Naomi

**Author's Note:**

> Title and song lyrics in 1st chapter from the Sia song "Breathe Me"

Headphones in. Press play on iPhone (already cued up). Close eyes as first bars of piano music flow into ears. Take deep breath along with the one in the music.

She opens her eyes once the initial checklist is done. The same every day. The same every time she’s here. The same before any time she even thinks about setting foot in the water. It’s her song, or that’s how she thinks of it. It focuses her like nothing else in her life can.

_Help, I have done it again._

The first words of the song greet her ears as she slings her towel over her shoulder and pushes through the door leading to the pool. She doesn’t bother looking around as the distinct smell of chlorine hits her nostrils. She’s the only one who’s ever here this time of day. It’s the reason she comes when she does. Just a little time to herself before school. 

_I have been here many times before-ore-ore._

She drops her towel on one of the bench against the wall and places her iPod carefully next to it without removing the earphones.

_Hurt myself again today._

She shrugs her track suit jacket off her shoulders and drops it beside the towel.

_And the worst part is there’s no one else to bla-a-ame._

She wiggles out of her track suit bottoms and drops them on top of the jacket, leaving her in just her swimsuit.

_Be my friend._

She picks her iPhone back up so that she can listen still as she shakes out her arms a little.

_Hold me. Wrap me up._

She cracks her neck and stretches her arms across her chest one at a time, just briefly.

_Unfold me. I am small..._

She bends over and places her hands on the tiles of the floor while keeping her legs straight. 

_...and needy. Warm me up..._

She stands, tugs out her headphones, but leaves the iPhone playing as she quickly climbs onto one of the starting blocks, closing her eyes.

_...and breathe me._

She plays out the next lines of the song in her head as she takes a deep breath. She knows the music by heart and she hears it continue in her brain as she dives in with only a small splash. She knows that on her iPhone the music has just intensified.

She starts right in on freestyle, her arms pushing strong against the water, her legs kicking steadily, propelling her forward. Each swim gets full effort from her. She doesn’t do anything half-arsed.

She concentrates on her breathing as she turns her head to the side, and before she knows it she’s across.

Turn. Push. Swim back. Turn. Push. Swim back.

It’s all a carefully choreographed underwater dance timed to the music in her head...the music playing on her iPhone.  She repeats it five times before:

Turn. Push. Back stroke.

She repeats the cycle.

Turn. Push. Breast stroke.

It’s just her and the water. Her limbs power her through as she focuses on keeping her breathing even.

Turn. Push. Butterfly. 

Each stroke is practiced. Twenty laps total, five for each stroke. It’s her morning routine, all the while her mind is calm, clear, and focused. The song she was listening to before she dove in playing in loop as the mental soundtrack to her work out. 

It’s a short work out, but it’s enough. It gets her blood pumping and makes her feel ready to face the day. It’s not like she doesn’t have proper practice after school anyway. This is just a little something extra.

It’s her time. Just her and the water and her thoughts. Nothing but the sound of her own breathing as she holds on to the edge of the pool when she’s done, closing her eyes as she leans her head against her hands, feeling the water trickle down her forearms and face.  She waits until her breathing’s slowed back to the initial tempo of the song, nice and calm, and then she ducks below the surface and surges up. She pushes off the edge of the pool, her strong arms propelling her out of the water that cascades off of her as she finds her footing. 

She stands and rings her long hair out, then tilts her head from side to side, smacking lightly against it to knock the water out of her ears before reaching for her towel. She does a quick rub over her arms and shoulders and a brief tousle in her hair before she picks her iPhone back up and puts the headphones back in her ears.

The song’s still playing, just as she knew it would be. It’s on repeat, after all.  It’s on the instrumental bit at the end, perfect for a wind down.

She sets her iPhone back down and sets to work drying herself off better. It’s then, as she turns her head to one side when she lifts one leg to set on the bench to make it easier to dry it, that she catches an unexpected sight. A flash of vibrant red mostly in her peripheral vision.

She’s completely startled.

She straightens and turns so quickly that her headphones snap out of her ears and she’s left with the faint hum of machinery and the gentle slosh of the water still settling down from her disturbance of the surface.

Curious brown eyes are staring back at her with such intensity that she wants to just slide back under the surface of the water and disappear for a moment.  Then she remembers this is _her_ time. _Her_ place. She doesn’t like that it’s been encroached upon by this stranger no matter how adorably apologetic and sheepish she looks.

Annoyance overtakes her. Her jaw sets hard and she glares.

“Who the fuck are you?” 


	2. Emily

She wanders the still mostly empty hallways, looking for somewhere to hide. She knows that all too soon the hallways will be swamped with other students and she wants to make sure she’s out of sight by the time that happens. She just wants somewhere quiet to read her book, really. Just a little time to herself. She’s managed to shake her sister who wanted a ride from the wanker boyfriend she’d already managed to pick up in the month since they’ve moved there.

She got a ride from her dad on the way to work instead, even though it means she’s now here quite early. 

Success, a windowless door. She tries the handle and smiles when it gives beneath her hand.

The smell of chlorine hits her like a sack of bricks, but she steps inside anyway, taking in the bright blue of the tiles of the pool and locating the set of bleachers off to one side.  She makes her way over to them, plops her bag down, taking a seat beside it, and she pulls out her book. She’s been dying to get back to it since last night when Katie had marched over to her bed, yanked her little torch out of her hand, turned it off, and placed it across the room saying, “It’s fucking time for bed, Ems. We need our beauty sleep. First day at a new college tomorrow, remember? I need my sleep to make a good impression.” 

She’d held her tongue on the thought that it would take more than a good night’s sleep for Katie to make a good impression. It wasn’t worth it to fight her, even if it’d been an especially tense moment in her book.  Besides, Katie had already been mad at her because she’d dyed her hair without telling her, far too late for Katie to do anything about it. (Katie always wanted to push for the ‘twin’ impact at a new school.)  It’s her own little rebellion. 

She opens the book and finds her place on the page, letting her brain immerse herself back in the story, images of Egypt flooding through her as she read on. Her fingers grip tightly at the pages as in her mind she sees the chase through the streets of Cairo unfold before her.

It’s her favourite series of murder mysteries, and she’s read them from the beginning, admiring the strong female protagonist who never takes shit from anyone, including her husband, despite living in a time when women were considered less than men. She wishes that she could be more like Amelia Peabody, rather than the mousy girl she actually is, always hiding in her sister’s shadow, new bright red hair or not. 

She gets lost in the story, everything else pushed from her mind as the words paint pictures in her head. She’s no longer Emily Fitch sitting by the pool of her new college in Bristol. She’s the observer watching Ramses fight for his life in a back alley in Cairo, in a whirlwind of knives and punches. 

She’s startled, then, when a splash reaches her ears, and she realises that it’s not from the story at all.  She hadn’t heard anyone come in. 

She looks up to find someone already halfway across the pool. A girl. A girl with gorgeous long blonde hair and perfectly toned arms that are carving through the water as her muscular legs kick. Her movements look calm, but her speed is impressive, and the whole spectacle is simply breathtaking. 

She can see her strong shoulder blades moving as her arms come around to scoop more water out of her path. She’s simply gliding through the water. 

She can’t take her eyes away as the girl in the royal blue swimsuit moves effortlessly back and forth across the length of the pool.

It’s not until the girl flips onto her back and continues doing the backstroke without missing a beat that Emily gets to see her face.  Her view is interrupted off and on by the girl’s powerful arms moving past before driving back into the water and the splash of water, but she barely notices as she takes in the girl’s gorgeous features. 

Her eyes trace the girl’s face over and over before she disappears under the water to turn, and Emily can barely breathe. She’s never seen anyone so stunningly beautiful in all her life.  It’s not until she re-emerges, water cascading off of her front as she continues the backstroke, that Emily’s eyes dip lower.

She stops breathing as her eyes find where the girl’s swimsuit meets the swell of her chest, and – _Fuck!_

It’s not like she hasn’t known she’s gay for a while, but it’s all been small crushes on celebrities. This is the first time that anyone’s ever had this type of an effect on her.

She watches with rapt attention as the girl continues swimming back and forth, changing her strokes here and there. Her book lies forgotten in her lap as her mouth hangs open at the sheer beauty in front of her.  It’s not just that the girl is stunning (which she is), but it’s the way she moves through the water as well. She seems completely at peace as she propels herself forward. Despite her speed, there’s an elegant grace to every movement. Emily has no doubt that she knows exactly where each part of her body is in the water at all times.

It’s not until the girl stops swimming and leans against the wall of the pool that Emily feels like she might be intruding.  She wants to clear her throat or something to alert the girl to her presence, but she feels a bit uncomfortable now that she’s been watching her for a while.  Instead she sits frozen in place, eyes glued to the back of the girl’s head, until she suddenly dunks her head under the water and pushes off the pool and –

 _Holy fuck_. Emily’s heart skips a beat as she watches the girl’s powerful shoulder muscles in her back tense as she propels herself out of the water. The muscles in her back all move in perfect harmony as water cascades off of her long blonde hair and down her body. Emily has never seen a more gorgeous sight than the one before her now, even as the girl’s feet slap across the now wet tiles by the pool to where her towel’s waiting for her. 

Her eyes graze down the girl’s muscular back to her perfect bum, and she unconsciously bites her lower lip.  She’s so mesmerised with the sight before her that she doesn’t even realise that the girl is turning towards her until it’s too late. 

Blue eyes bore into her as shock is written across the girl’s face, and Emily wants desperately to disappear or to look away, but she simply can’t because this girl has the most stunning eyes she’s ever seen. 

The girl’s face hardens and her eyebrows furrow.  “Who the fuck are you?”

Emily can’t help noting that her voice is silky and enticing despite the harsh words. 

“Hello?” the girl adds when Emily doesn’t respond right away.  “Who are you and what are you doing here?”

Emily blushes deeply and glances down at the book in her lap, remembering what had brought her here to begin with.  “I’m, uh, I was j-just...” Emily takes a deep breath and tries again. “I was just reading.”

“It seems a little more like stalking,” the girl retorts.

Emily wishes she has a comeback, but she was just shamelessly perving on the girl so she doesn’t really have one.  “I wasn’t,” she mutters, holding up her book as proof to her claim. 

The girl smirks. “Aren’t you supposed to actually _look_ at a book when you read it?”

Emily glances at the book again and thinks of Amelia Peabody. She wouldn’t back down. She’d stand up for herself.  “I _was_ reading, but then you came in and started swimming. I was here first.” She cringes as the argument sounds childish even to her.

“You were here first?” the girl asks in disbelief, wrapping her towel around her chest and tucking in the top corner. 

Emily nods defiantly, trying to convince herself that she needs to stop finding this girl so fucking attractive when she’s not exactly being friendly.

“I swim here _every_ morning. I’ve never seen _you_ here before.”

Okay, so her argument’s even weaker now. Emily deflates slightly. “I was still just reading.”

The girl eyes her up and down and Emily feels a little as if she’s being sized up, and then the girl shrugs. “Whatever. I’ve gotta go.”

Emily watches, mouth open in surprise, as the girl gathers the rest of her belongings and leaves out the door near her.  Locker rooms, Emily guesses. 

She sits there motionless for a minute, half of her wanting to run after the girl and convince her she hadn’t been just creepily watching her (even if she kind of had been), and the other half of her is just thankful that the awkward encounter is over.

As she finally puts her book away and stands up (school’s starting soon enough), she can’t shake how fucking beautiful the girl had been.  She can only hope that she gets to see her again. She resolves to make a better impression next time. 


	3. Naomi

She breathes in deeply as the steam from the shower surrounds her. It’s just a quick rinse to get the chlorine off of her, but it still feels good as the hot water washes over her shoulders and down her bare back.

She frowns as she thinks over her conversation with the intrusive redhead.  “Reading,” she’d said.  Reading involved looking at the book. She was staring. How long had she been staring, though? And why, exactly?

The thing is, though, that she was pretty adorable when she was fumbling around trying to defend herself. Not effective, mind, but kind of endearing nonetheless. 

Naomi shakes her head. She doesn’t even know why she’s still thinking about it. Thinking about _her_. The girl with the bright red hair that screams ‘look at me’ but a demeanour that says ‘look anywhere else’.  The girl with the big brown eyes and the cute button nose.

Naomi sighs and shakes her head, spraying water out from her hair. She turns the shower off and grabs her towel.  After a quick once over, she wraps it around her and steps out of the shower.

“Good swim?”

She doesn’t jump. She’s used to her best friend just appearing out of nowhere. She long ago adjusted to that annoying little habit. It’s no surprise, then, that Effy is leaning against the lockers nearby, stance nonchalant, long brown hair cascading prettily around her face in a way that almost looks as if it’s just effortlessly so perfectly placed.  She’s dressed, as is her wont, in what to most people would be a long tank top with the graphic of a woman’s face on it, but she somehow manages to pull it off as a ‘dress’ with black ripped stockings on underneath it.

“Got imposed upon,” she murmurs, giving Effy a quick nod before heading to the locker she’s stashed her clothes and her bag in. 

“Oh? By who?” Effy inquires, straightening a bit, the only sign she’s actually curious, as her voice stays even, almost bored sounding. 

Naomi shrugs, as she steps into her knickers and pulls them up under her towel.  “Some new girl.”

“And did you give her an earful for daring set foot in your pool during your time there?” Effy asks, voice full of mirth as a knowing smirk graces her features.

Naomi rolls her eyes as she tugs on her jeans. “I’ll tell you about it once I’m dressed?” she suggests, an attempt at a hint that Effy give her a little privacy that she knows from experience Effy will simply ignore. She’s the only person Naomi knows who will shamelessly stare at anyone in any situation without batting an eye. 

“Sure,” Effy replies without moving a muscle or averting her gaze.

Naomi sighs. It’s not like she’s self-conscious in front of Effy these days. In fact, it’s not like rather a lot of people don’t see her in a swimsuit on a very regular basis, which takes away a certain level of self-consciousness in general.  Still, a little privacy is nice every once in a while. She turns her back to Effy and unwraps her towel, dropping it on the bench between them, and grabs her bra out of her locker, putting it on quickly. She grabs her cream tank top with a design of a tree in black on it and shrugs it on a moment later. It’s a top Effy had helped her pick out over the summer (and promptly stolen a week later – it had taken Naomi a month to get it back).  She picks up her hairbrush and runs it through her long, wet locks, feeling water dripping off onto her back before she brushes it back into a ponytail and puts a hair elastic around it to secure it. She twists it, wringing it out carelessly onto the floor. 

“Someone’s going to slip and break their neck one of these days ‘cause of you,” Effy says, but she sounds more amused than scolding.

“They should watch where they’re going, then. Not like I’m the only person who drips water across the locker room,” Naomi replies, getting her necklace out of the locker, a hand-me-down from her gran by means of her mother. It’s a gorgeous pale blue moonstone placed as the iris of an eye-shaped silver frame, and she wears it every day. Effy always says it matches her eyes.  She fastens it behind her neck then pats it down on her chest before quickly checking to make sure that the silver dolphin studs Effy gave her for her thirteenth birthday are still in her ears (a paranoid habit she’s fallen into years ago).

She shoves her hairbrush, wet swimsuit and towel in a plastic bag and shoves them in the locker to pick up after school before grabbing her bag and her black zip-up hoodie (that she’s not quite sure why she brought because it’s far too warm for it today, really), slamming the locker closed, and turning to Effy.

“Pre-college fag?”

“I still don’t smoke,” Naomi reminds her.

“I still can’t believe you quit.”

“Yes you can,” Naomi counters. “You know I shaved seconds off of all my times since I did.”

“Health nut,” Effy mutters teasingly.

“I just enjoy breathing while I swim.”

Effy shrugs. “Semantics.”

Naomi rolls her eyes as they leave the locker room and head for the nearest doors to the outside. 

“So, you’re dressed. Feel free to fill me in at any time,” Effy says, sounding bored, but Naomi knows her well enough to know that she wouldn’t have brought it up if she weren’t interested.

“So I go in for my normal swim, dive in, completely in the zone. I was cutting through the water perfectly, Ef. I’m definitely going to beat my best time on my freestyle stroke at the race on Saturday.”

“Sounds pretty normal so far,” Effy interjects as they push through the doors of the school and she produces a cigarette and lights up all in one fluid movement. 

“It was. Until I got out of the water and realised that this girl had been there the whole time and was staring at me,” Naomi explains as they lean against the wall.

“You sure she wasn’t just watching you swim? Fascinated by the way you were cutting through the water?” Effy counters, a smirk on her lips.

Naomi glares at her own words being spit back at her. “No. She was staring. Like...you should have seen the way she was looking at me, okay? It was intense. And then she got all ramble-y and blush-y when I caught her at it and tried telling me she was reading in there.”

“Did she have a book?” Effy asks, and Naomi can tell from the gleam in her eye that she’s rather amused by this story so far. 

“Yes. But she definitely wasn’t looking at it!”

“Was she cute?”

“What?”

“Was she cute?” Effy repeats slowly, enunciating carefully as if talking to an idiot.

Naomi sighs and rolls her eyes. “I dunno. She was a girl.” Except she does know. It’s just such a silly question. Why does it matter? Only fucking Effy would think to ask something like that.

“And you don’t have eyes?”

“Yeah. I guess she was cute. But she was just staring at me. Like...like a stalker would stare at you if they were stalking you.”

“Which is kind of the definition of a stalker,” Effy says without batting an eye, same bored tone, but Naomi knows she’s just doing her best to rile her up at this point.

“Fuck you,” Naomi mutters, suddenly itching for a drag of the cigarette poised between Effy’s lips.  _No. Remember swimming. Remember your goals._ She takes a deep breath and looks across the lawn, watching the students filtering towards the school.

“Okay, okay, sorry. So what’d you say to her?”

Naomi knows the apology isn’t exactly genuine, but she takes it anyway. “I asked her who she was, pointed out that you’re supposed to look at books when you’re trying to read them, and when she tried to claim that she was there first, I set her straight.”

Effy lets out a small snort of laughter, and Naomi eyes her curiously. She hadn’t said anything _that_ funny.

“So what’d she look like? Since you were ever so helpful on the ‘cute’ front.”

Naomi shrugs. “She was –“ She stops dead in her tracks because walking towards the doors right by them is a girl who looks remarkably like the girl from the pool. “She looks a lot like that, actually. Only her hair’s red and her clothes are less....”

“Leopard print-y?” Effy suggests, following where Naomi’s pointing.

“I was going to say ‘loud’, but that works too,” Naomi agrees as they watch the girl strut past them, swinging her hips from side to side, sure of all the male attention she’s getting. Everything about her screams for attention, actually, unlike the girl at the pool, from her attitude to the tight leopard print skirt, low cut, corset top and five inch heels.

“Cute, then,” Effy declares.

“Yes, I already agreed to that,” Naomi sighs, wishing that her best friend would just move on from this particular line of thought. It’s irrelevant.  “Anyway, I don’t think the girl will be back at the pool tomorrow.”

“Your warm, welcoming demeanour didn’t win her over?” Effy suggests sarcastically.

“She was in my space and interrupted my zone.”

“She was looking for somewhere quiet to read and instead got to watch a fantastic swimmer, from the sound of it,” Effy counters.

Naomi hates that she sounds so fucking reasonable. Still, the way that the little redhead had been looking at her...it had felt...Well, it didn’t really matter. It was probably her imagination anyway.

Effy finishes her fag and checks her watch. “We should probably head in.”

Naomi nods with a sigh. She likes her pre-school time when it’s just her and the water or just her and Effy. Her and school....Well, it’s not the learning that’s the issue, so much, it’s the idiot teachers and the obnoxious fellow students.

“So did you catch your stalker’s name?” Effy asks as they enter the school and head towards their lockers.

“Surprisingly, I didn’t ask,” Naomi retorts. As if Effy didn’t already know the answer to that.

“Mm,” Effy hums knowingly. “Shocking.”

\--

Naomi resists the urge to freeze as she walks through the door to her form room, and lo and behold, the redhead is sitting there. Effy must sense her hesitation because a moment later she’s getting nudged in the side, and when Naomi looks at her, Effy’s eyeing her with a smirk, and nodding towards the girl. 

Naomi nods her confirmation. 

Effy smirks wider and heads towards a seat at the back, but Naomi, for reasons she’s not entirely sure of, decides to slip into the empty seat beside the redhead. When Effy realises, she detours and takes the seat behind her.

“Hey, my stalker’s _here_ , too,” Naomi says by way of greeting, finding herself somewhat amused by the situation.

The girl looks up, her eyes wide when she sees Naomi, and her face turning adorably pink with embarrassment. “I wasn’t stalking. I told you, I went there to read.”

Naomi’s about to suggest that maybe she should try the library next time, but something stops her. She had been a bit of a bitch earlier, and really this girl hadn’t done anything to deserve it. Not in hindsight. She just didn’t like her morning routine interrupted and had been caught off guard. “Right, then, reader, got a name?”

Naomi thinks she hears a small snort of amusement out of Effy, but when she glances back at her, Effy’s face is stoic, her eyes fixated on the front of the classroom. 

The girl eyes her in surprise for a moment, then turns her eyes back to her desk. “Emily,” she murmurs softly.

“You’re new, I take it?”

“First day,” Emily replies, still not looking back at her. 

“Do you happen to have a doppelganger that dresses a bit more...’look at me’ like?” Naomi inquires, remembering the girl she and Effy had seen walk into school just a few minutes before.  Naomi takes a moment to glance at what Emily’s wearing. She’s dressed completely different from that girl. She’s wearing a white T-shirt with the black sketch of a girl in a pretty dress on one side, and simple grey shorts. She’s also, Naomi notes, wearing basic blue Vans to the other girl’s high heels.

Emily sighs, and nods, clearly a bit reluctant about this fact. “My twin. Katie. Thank God they put us in different forms.”

“Not close, then?”

Emily finally looks up at her again, and Naomi can’t help finding her big brown eyes kind of mesmerising. There are swirls of emotion in them, like she couldn’t hide anything if she wanted to because her eyes would simply betray her.

“Not exactly,” Emily admits.

“Right, you little fuckers. Sit down, shut up, and I’ll get you out of here as soon as possible, which, let’s face it, is what we all want,” a rough voice with an Irish accent breaks through their conversation.

Naomi turns to face the front with an amused grin. If there’s one person at this school besides Effy who shares her general opinion about her classmates, it’s Kieran, their form teacher and Naomi’s step-dad, a gruff Irishman who’d won her mum’s heart God knows how a few years back. Surprisingly, he’d been the best father figure she’d ever had. 

“It’s a new bloody year and we’ve all got to suffer through the next far too many months together, and apparently there’s a new student or two, so we’re doing introductions. Stand up when I point to you, say your name, and something interesting about yourselves. And, JJ? Try to keep it under thirty seconds long, please?”

“I’ll try, Kieran,” the curly-haired boy that Naomi occasionally associates with only because of his infatuation with Effy and his friendship with their mate Cook replies.

“Right, Freddie, let’s start with you.” 


	4. Emily

It would have been better, she can’t help thinking, if the girl from the pool hadn’t sat next to her in their form classroom (or been in her form in general, for that matter). It would certainly have been better had she not started talking to her because then maybe Emily would have been able to stick with the haughty, cold (if incredibly hot looks-wise) version of the girl. Instead, she now knows that Naomi (she mouths the name, feeling the flow of it on her tongue) can actually be almost...charming. Clever, certainly (especially if her astute comments in class are anything to judge by). Observant as well, given that she’d realised she and Katie were related despite the hair dye (although that isn’t necessarily a good thing). Kind of funny describes her, too, even if the stalker joke’s already wearing thin (although Naomi _did_ drop it when Emily’d shown her lack of amusement a second time).

It’s just that now Emily can’t stop thinking about her, even with Katie blabbering away across from her about some boy named Cook (odd name, really, Emily thinks) who’s in her form as she picks at rather than eats her egg and cress sandwich. (“Eggs are too fattening, Ems. Have to look fit if I want to pull at a new school.” – Emily doesn’t bother pointing out that Katie’s already got a boyfriend since she’s all too aware that Katie’s always on the lookout for her next, ‘better’ one.)

Her eyes trail across the canteen to the gorgeous blonde swimmer who’s been in every one of her classes so far. She’s sitting with the same girl who sat behind her in their form room. They seem to be matching each other smirk for smirk, an aloof atmosphere surrounding them, as if they’re in on some joke about the rest of them.

Emily watches as Naomi throws back her head and laughs at something her friend said, exposing her long neck, her lips stretching back prettily to reveal a row of perfect white teeth. _She’s stunning,_ Emily thinks as a handsome if a little scruffy boy in a green polo shirt and chequered white and blue shorts approaches Naomi and her friend, carelessly throwing an arm around both of them and murmuring something in a low voice before shooting Naomi a cheeky smile.

Naomi rolls her eyes but grins back at the boy who has somewhat messy, sandy brown hair, and Emily feels her chest tighten instantly.

“Yeah! That’s him, Ems! Paws off, though. I saw him first,” Katie informs her from across the table, apparently having followed her gaze.

So that’s Cook, Emily thinks, pursing her lips as she notes the way he leans in close to Naomi to say something before throwing his head back and howling in laughter.

Emily bites back her retort. Her sister has nothing to worry about. Even if she was interested in men, she can’t see herself being interested in a guy like him. He has the air of someone who’d chase anything in a skirt. At least Katie shouldn’t have to work too hard to get him interested. Why is Naomi friends with him, though? Or is he more to her? He’s not good enough for her.

Emily shakes her head. She doesn’t even know why the fuck she’s thinking that. Who is she to judge who’s good enough for Naomi? How can she even judge? She doesn’t even know Naomi. Or Cook for that matter. She shouldn’t care who either of them associate with in whatever capacity.

“What?” Katie asks, through a mouthful, apparently having forgotten that she was too busy attempting to look fit and had started eating.

“What do you mean what?” Emily shoots back.

“You’ve got your grumpy face on,” Katie elaborates.

Emily frowns. She didn’t, did she? “It was nothing.”

“Look, if it’s about me being interested in Cook while I have a boyfriend, I don’t need another fucking lecture from you about fidelity and responsibility and safe sex. I always use a condom, and it’s a good idea to test the merchandise before you buy it, right? You wouldn’t buy a car you hadn’t test driven, right? Well I don’t like committing to a guy who’s shit in bed and doesn’t know how to buy a girl a gift. Besides, a little harmless flirting doesn’t hurt anyone.”

Emily resists the urge to snort. Commitment is hardly her sister’s issue. She can’t remember a single boy who her sister has really, genuinely liked beyond seeing him as a status symbol on her arm. “Whatever you say, Katie,” she mumbles instead, before polishing off the last of her sandwich.

“Who’s that girl that Cook’s with, then? Do you know them?” Katie asks.

“Which girl?” Emily replies, feeling her heart race just a bit, though she’s not sure exactly why. (Well, maybe she is, but she’s trying desperately to ignore it.)

“The one who’s looking over here with a creepy smirk on her face,” Katie says, nodding at the girl with a frown on her face.

Emily looks again, and she hates the way she feels slightly disappointed when it’s Naomi’s friend with the long brown hair and the barely there ‘dress’ that’s more of a long shirt really and the smoky eye makeup. She is indeed staring at the both of them, her eyes intense and a small smirk on her lips. Emily has to admit that she looks the picture of cool and she’s really pretty gorgeous herself. She and Naomi must rule the school with the way they’re just so effortlessly themselves, exuding confidence and beauty. “Umm...” Emily fumbles through her memory to remember what the grouchy Irish teacher had called her. “She’s got some weird name. Elfie or Effy or something, I think.”

Katie lets out a sharp bark of laugh. “Elfie?”

Emily shakes her head. “No, I’m pretty sure it’s Effy.” Her eyes flick back to the girl and she bites her lip nervously when she sees that she’s now leaning across Cook and whispering something to Naomi.

When Naomi’s eyes flick up and look at her, she freezes. _Fucking caught staring again. Good job, Ems._ She barely even hears her sister still going on about what a weird name Effy is and why the girl might have been staring at her. She’s trapped instead by the gaze of someone she barely knows. Someone with stunning blue eyes that feel like they’re piercing through her right now.

Naomi raises an eyebrow, mutters something in reply to Effy, who smirks wider, then smiles a little herself, lifting one hand from beside her plate and giving a half wave.

Emily blushes deeply and turns her eyes back to her now empty packet of sandwiches.

She doesn’t look back at Naomi’s table at all, willing herself to listen to her sister drone on endlessly (her new topic: how her boyfriend didn’t get her that necklace she’d hinted that she really, really wanted, plus she’d seen him eyeing Melanie Montgomery’s tits at the party last week, not that Emily had the foggiest idea of who that was). It’s for this reason that she’s unaware that Naomi and Effy and Cook have gotten up from their table until they’re walking past her own.

“Hey there, stalker,” Naomi murmurs as she walks past, a smirk on her face when Emily looks up into it, but her tone had been playful, almost kind.

Still, so much for that joke being done (even if Emily is painfully aware she might have blown it by staring again). She finds herself blushing again.

“What’d you just say to my sister?” Katie demands, eyeing Naomi suspiciously.

“Katiekins! You know Naomio?” Cook cuts in, suitably distracting Katie, much to Emily’s relief. “And, woah, there’s two of you?” Cook adds, taking in Emily for the first time.

“We’re twins,” Katie replies with a coy smile, repositioning herself so that her cleavage is properly on display.

Emily’s not blind to the way Cook’s eyes dip to take it in appreciatively.

“Nice one.” Cook grins at them.

Emily knows what he’s thinking, but there will be no doubling of his pleasure.

“Cook. Fuck off. You’re not getting a threesome,” Effy says sharply, curious eyes flicking between Katie and Emily.

“Aww, come on, Ef. You can let a boy dream, you know,” Cook whines.

Emily glances back up at Naomi and catches her rolling her eyes.

“Cook,” Naomi says warningly.

Cook sighs dramatically. “Fine. Well, then, Katiekins. May I escort you to class?”

Katie blushes, and Emily represses a groan.

“Yes, thanks,” she replies, standing and giving Emily a look that Emily is all too aware means ‘you deal with my rubbish while I go off with the hot boy’.

“She seems really deep. Bet she doesn’t do a lot of reading,” Naomi mutters as Cook escorts Katie away.

Emily can’t help feeling defensive. Katie may not be perfect, but she’s not half as vapid as she comes across.

“Don’t judge a book by its cover,” Effy responds before Emily has a chance to reply.

“Really, Ef?” Naomi asks, raising an eyebrow at her friend.

Effy smirks back at her and Naomi shakes her head.

“Fuck you and your all-knowing ways, Ef,” Naomi sighs, and Emily’s under the distinct impression that Naomi’s all but forgotten that she’s still sitting there.

Effy smirks wider, and she looks back at Emily who can’t help feeling even more uncomfortable by the second. Effy leans in and whispers something that Emily can’t hear to Naomi before nodding to Emily and wandering off.

Naomi rolls her eyes then finally looks back at Emily. “Sorry. She’s got this complex. She thinks she knows everything. Unfortunately, she’s annoyingly accurate about most things.”

Emily nods, her mouth feeling awfully dry of a sudden, and she’s at a bit of a loss of what to say.

“So you’re new, right? Where’d you move from?” Naomi asks, lingering by the table.

“Portsmouth,” Emily replies, unsure of why Naomi’s even bothering to ask. Why hasn’t she simply followed Effy away?

Emily watches as Naomi opens and closes her mouth a few times, looking slightly awkward for the first time since Emily had laid eyes on her.

“So, look, I didn’t say this before, but sorry if I was a bit...harsh or whatever this morning. I just like getting my morning swim in,” Naomi mumbles, looking to the side.

Emily nods, and she can’t help thinking that Naomi doesn’t exactly seem used to apologising. “You’re really good,” she offers, wishing immediately she could take it back. Sometimes her mouth decided to share things without her express consent, and this is one of those times.

Naomi, fortunately, lets out a small almost sheepish laugh. “I should hope so. I do it competitively.”

“Really?” Emily asks, unable to help herself from being curious.

“For the Bristol Henleaze Swimming Club,” Naomi confirms with a nod. “I’m part of their A Squad.”

A Squad. The best one, Emily has no doubt.

“Intense practice schedule, but worth it,” Naomi continues.

“So you have practice today?”

“I have practice every day except Saturday which is when most of our meets are,” Naomi replies.

“But you’ve already swum today,” Emily points out.

Naomi shakes her head. “That was nothing. Just a few laps to focus me on the days we don’t have morning practices as well as evening ones.”

Emily’s vaguely aware that her mouth’s hanging open, but seriously, wow. Emily’s never had dedication like that to anything. She might be more of a morning person than Katie is, but she can’t imagine specifically waking up for morning swims every school day.

“Right, well, we should get to class, really,” Naomi suggests as a bell rings out.

Emily nods, then realises, much to her surprise, that Naomi appears to be waiting for her. She stands a little too quickly, knocking her empty sandwich container to the floor and getting a bit of a head rush.

Naomi giggles. “All right, there?” she asks, sounding far too amused and making Emily blush again.

“Fine,” Emily mumbles, quickly picking up her sandwich container and clearing up Katie’s rubbish to throw away.

As she starts down the hallway, Naomi falling into step beside her, she can’t help feeling a little surreal. This is not how she’d imagined her first day going. She’s not sure, but she’s cautiously optimistic that it’s better. 


	5. Naomi

“Making a new friend?” Effy asks mockingly as Naomi returns the small wave that Emily shoots her way as they’re leaving school.

Naomi rolls her eyes and elbows Effy in the side, making her miss lighting the fag that’s dangling from her lips the first try.

“You’re the one who told me to apologise.”

“You’re the one that sat next to her first thing this morning,” Effy retorts.

“Yeah, well, she...I...Fuck you, Stonem,” Naomi grumbles. She’s not sure why she did that and now she’s regretting it. She didn’t mean to make a new friend. Not that friends are bad, but she has her good friends. She has Effy and Cook. She even has Freddie, JJ, and Panda, she supposes. And Panda’s boyfriend calls everyone friend, so she supposes she can count him as well, though really she’s got limited patience for all of them except Effy and Cook, and even they can grate on her nerves. She’s got her focus, and it’s not winning the social butterfly prize. She’s a swimmer, plain and simple. People bring drama, drama leads to shaken focus, and shaken focus leads to worse times and lost races.

Effy simply chuckles beside her. “Haven’t we been there and done that?”

Naomi groans. Effy would bring that up at a time like this. It wasn’t even like it had meant anything, either. It had been convenient and easy, and neither of them had read too much into it. “Effy,” Naomi sighs, her tone warning.

“She’s gotten under your skin.”

“She’s been here a day. How on earth could she have managed that?” Naomi retorts, her mind automatically rejecting Effy’s suggestion.

Effy shrugs. “If you say so, Naomi.”

Naomi sighs in exasperation. Sometimes her best friend is just a tad too annoying with her cryptic, ‘I know everything’ bullshit. “I’ve got reading to get done before practice,” Naomi says, speeding her pace, seeing the road where she veers off from Effy just ahead and looking forward to the freedom that means at this moment.

“Reading, huh? Is that code for something? Does it mean staring?” Effy calls after her.

Naomi flips her off without looking back. She pushes all thoughts of Effy and Emily both from her mind. Instead she thinks ahead to her practice, to what her goals are today, to what she knows she needs to work on in preparation for the meet on Saturday. She could do to shave a little more time off of her breast stroke. She’ll push that tonight. If she could get her 100 metre breast stroke under a minute she’d be golden for every race this season. She’ll have to work her arse off, though. Still, it’s a goal, right? A dream of a goal, maybe, but a goal nonetheless. Something to focus on. Something that doesn’t involve people, new or old, in her life.

\--

“You were great today,” Sophie says as they towel off. “It was almost like you were on fire in the water. Your focus is always so intense. I envy that.”

Naomi smiles. “Your backstroke’s looking great. You shaved a quarter of a second off your best time, right?”

Sophie nods, her shoulder length brown hair bobbing around her face now that she’s taken it down. “Yeah, but you’ve got that drive, you know? Like Olympics are written in your future. You never let events from your day or things going on in your life follow you into the pool. It’s a gift, Campbell.”

Naomi lets out a soft laugh as she tousles the towel in her wet hair. “It’s just my zone, Soph. We’ve all got one. Mine sucks me in well, thank God.”

“Ha, yeah, maybe one of these days, I’ll find mine,” Sophie jokes light-heartedly.

Naomi rolls her eyes. “If this is you out of your zone, I hope you don’t find it,” she teases back, making Sophie laugh.

Sophie lets out a long sigh as they head to the showers at the same time. “Seriously, though. I wish I had your gift for blocking everything out but the water.”

“Damien again?”

Sophie nods. “I think we might be heading to the off-again part of our on-again, off-again relationship.”

“When are you just gonna dump his arse for good?”

“Not that easy,” Sophie replies, sounding resigned.

Naomi nods knowingly. She’s been following Sophie’s relationship with Damien more or less from the start. She’s swum with Sophie since she was six years old and they’d bonded early over their mutual interest in swimming. While other kids were just flopping around in the pool starting splash wars, they were both swimming laps, working on their form. They shared a similar focus and through that they became friends of a sort. Sophie is probably one of her best friends, really, but it’s weird to think of someone who she hangs out with so infrequently outside of practice as such. Sophie is her one friend that’s away from everything else in her life and that’s exactly what she is for Sophie as well. It means that they can share without having to worry that anything might get back to other people they know. It’s not that Sophie hasn’t met Effy. She’s even been out with them and Cook a few times and they get on well enough. It’s just that Sophie is very much Naomi’s friend, not theirs. If something ever happens with Effy or with Cook, Naomi knows she can talk to Sophie about it and Sophie will keep it between them and take her side.

“So how was your first day back to school?” Sophie asks, changing the subject.

“Oh, thrilling as ever,” Naomi replies sarcastically.

Sophie chuckles softly, her hazel eyes gleaming knowingly. “Mine was shite, too.”

“It wasn’t – There was this girl who watched my morning swim, without me knowing, and then I saw her, and after that I just felt slightly thrown off,” Naomi explains.

Sophie nods sympathetically. “That’d suck. Did you tell her to fuck off?”

“Yeah, kinda. Initially. She didn’t mean to. She was just reading, or something. Looking for someplace quiet to be before school. My guess is to avoid her sister who’s a bit on the loud side. It was just weird that she found my quiet place, you know?”

Sophie nods again. “So you told her she could read there again?”

“It’s not like I own the pool, but, no, I didn’t exactly welcome her back there with open arms. Doesn’t matter for tomorrow, at least, does it?”

“Nope. Tomorrow I’ll be seeing you bright and early,” Sophie agrees with a slight grumble. Much as she loves to swim and as serious as she is about it, Sophie’s not a morning person, and Naomi knows it.

“I’ll bring coffee?” Naomi suggests.

“I love you,” Sophie informs her with a grin.

\--

She doesn’t know why she’s not asleep yet. One of the great things about being a swimmer means that she very rarely has sleepless nights. Her body’s always far too exhausted for her mind to keep her awake. Tonight, however, seems to be one of those annoying (though fortunately rare) nights where that’s not the case.

It’s just, well, she doesn’t like blaming people, but it’s Emily. She was what threw her off first thing this morning, and it seems like she’s still doing so tonight. Naomi just can’t figure her out. She knows what Effy thinks, or what Effy’s admitting to thinking, at least, but Naomi’s not convinced. Just because Emily was staring at her (admittedly more than once), does not mean she fancies her. Emily’s new, and she’s the quiet type, and the quiet type has a tendency to people watch, like Effy does. _Like I do,_ Naomi thinks. And, really, what’s the difference between people watching and staring. Intensity, perhaps? But anybody who’s fallen under Effy’s unwavering gaze might disagree with that statement.

There’s just a quality to the looks that Emily sent her all day. It’s curiosity, or something, maybe. Hope, perhaps. But hope for what? That she’ll make a new friend. That she already has?

Has she made a new friend? That’s what Effy accused, right? But was she right? She just walked with Emily to class after lunch. And sat behind her in that class. But only because Effy was seated diagonally behind her and Naomi always sits next to Effy. Except she didn’t first thing this morning. She sat next to Emily. Her ‘stalker’.

Naomi grins to herself. Okay, so obviously she knows that Emily isn’t really stalking her (or she doesn’t think so, at least), but the way that Emily blushes and glances down self-consciously when she suggests it is really rather...adorable. Besides, she doesn’t mean it meanly. Not since first thing this morning, at least. It’s just gentle teasing.

Teasing like one might tease a friend, Naomi realises, and sighs heavily. So maybe she is making a friend. That’s not a bad thing, right? Her mum would think it was a great thing, though she definitely doesn’t always agree with what her mum thinks is best for her.

As long as Emily doesn’t interfere with her swimming or her practice time, maybe it’s okay, Naomi decides as she yawns, finally feeling sleep tugging on her. She’s not going to tell Effy she was right, though. No need to inflate that ego. 


	6. Emily

The pool feels strangely too large and too quiet this morning, Emily can’t help thinking. She keeps looking up from her book to the water as if she’ll see Naomi’s muscular body powering through it. It’s stupid, she knows. Naomi’s at her proper morning practice. She told her she would be.

Emily’s not sure why, but she hasn’t been able to get Naomi out of her head. (Okay, maybe she has an inkling, and maybe it has something to do with her being drop dead gorgeous, but she really can’t focus on that right now. Not when she hasn’t told Katie yet...) It’s just that it’s a little annoying, almost, the way she’s looking forward to seeing her again. For fuck’s sake, she’s only known her a day. It’s not even like Naomi was overly friendly yesterday. Except that when she’d walked her to class, she’d sheepishly stood aside and let Emily enter the classroom first, which was rather adorable. And then when she’d waved goodbye after school, there’d been a faint smile playing on her lips. And then there’s her fiery dedication to swimming, that Emily would have to be blind, deaf, and dumb to not see, and _that_ she can’t help but admire. You have to respect someone who’s so passionate about something that they’ll get up early every morning just to get better at it.

It feels like the seconds are ticking by at half their normal speed, like maybe she's entered some tortuous time rift where a second lasts at least twice as long as normal, but the world outside of it still moves at a regular pace. Naomi's off in that regularly paced time world, Emily thinks. _Swimming_ , she adds to herself as the images of Naomi as she'd first seen her, long, graceful body surging through the water, powerful muscles flexing with ease as her arms and legs propelled her forward, pop into her mind.

Emily shakes her head and attempts to refocus on the words on the page in front of her. She makes it almost three paragraphs before she realises that she has no idea what the hell she's just read. She's fairly certain that she just read the same sentence four times, and she couldn't tell you a single word in it if pressed.

She closes her book with a soft thud that echoes around the empty pool. She contemplates just sitting there and wallowing in her thoughts, but those are already growing dangerous (for so many reasons), so in the end she opts to do something she swore she'd never do before school again ever since that time she caught Katie virtually having sex with the wanker she'd been dating at the time: she seeks out her sister's company.

Katie's not alone, of course. She never is. She craves company the same way that Emily often eschews it. Cook is leering over Katie, eyes glued to her tits (and he doesn't even have the decency to at least pretend that they're not).

Effy's there too, which surprises Emily no end. She doesn't understand why someone who seems as effortlessly cool as Effy does would bother with someone like Cook, let alone want to be anywhere near someone who's so clearly a wannabe as Katie is. What surprises Emily less is the bored expression Effy's wearing, and the way she appears to be looking past Katie and Cook rather than at them. It's no wonder, then, that Effy spots her first, and Emily might be wrong, but it seems like her face almost lights up for a second. That makes Emily slightly uncomfortable. People are so rarely happy to see her for a good reason. Katie, for instance, was only ever happy to see her when she had some favour to ask of her (like sitting an exam in her place or copying her notes after she'd skipped class). (Katie's boyfriends are even worse because they only ever light up when they see her because their immediate thoughts are "Twins" and "threesome", which, just, no. Never. Ew.)

"Emily," Effy greets her, pushing off the wall and taking a step towards her.

Emily nods warily. "Hi."

True to form, Katie looks disappointed she's shown up.

"Hey! It's the little twinsie!" Cook greets her, and his enthusiasm as he pulls her into a hug that she'd much rather not be a part of throws her off. "Naomio's little stalker friend. Have I told you how much I like your red hair? It's distinctive, innit? Let's me tell you and Katiekins apart, too."

Emily feels slightly nauseous at the thought that he might confuse her and Katie otherwise. They're not THAT identical in appearance (or so she's always consoled herself). She also second-guesses her choice. If Cook approves, was it really a good move? (She could have done without the stalker joke, too.) "Thanks," she mumbles shyly.

"It IS distinctive. Kind of the point, wasn't it? To set yourself apart?" Effy asks, in a way that makes Emily even less sure of her choice.

She doesn't respond, but that's okay because Katie decides to instead.

"I made her. We're too old to look like clones of each other, you know. It was getting lame, so I suggested she make a change."

_LIES_ , Emily wants to say, but Cook's already saying, "Good choice, love," which has Katie blushing, so Emily quietly rolls her eyes instead.

Without her having realised that she'd moved, Effy's suddenly at her side. "Shall we leave the potential lovebirds to their sickening flirting?" Effy suggests quietly, and Emily nods her relief. She feels on edge around Effy, but just about anything beats watching Katie trying to pull.

"Why didn't you call Katie out on her lie back there?" Effy asks once they're out of earshot.

Emily's so surprised that she stops short. "How did you - How - I just didn't -"

"Katie clearly milks the twin thing for everything it's worth. She doesn't need to. She's quite attractive in her own right, if only she'd talk less. She would never have approved the hair dying, let alone to such a drastic shade of red."

Emily runs her fingers through her hair self-consciously.

"I like it. It suits you. It's like the hint of the fire you have inside trying to burst right out the top of your head."

Emily swallows hard, thrown by the insightful observation and the compliment rolled into one.

"Naomi will be here soon, you know."

Emily didn't, and she's equally thrown by this sudden change in conversation as she had been with the last one. "Cool," she comments, when the silence stretches on between them, and she begins to think that perhaps a response was expected of her. She begins to walk again, and, though the hallways are getting more crowded as it gets closer to the start of school, Effy seems to know just where to go to have the least amount of people possible around. Emily isn't sure if this is for her benefit or simply because Effy prefers that as well.

"She's always more energetic on mornings when she's had morning practice. It's sick, really, how awake she'll be when she gets here," Effy comments, and Emily's not exactly sure why she's being told this, but she nods with interest (and secretly files the information away in the folder in her mind titled "Naomi").

"How's the book reading going?" Effy asks after a long silence that was just starting to make Emily squirm uncomfortably.

Emily wishes fervently that she didn't blush so easily as she feels her cheeks grow hot. There's no way that Effy could know that she had had trouble reading this morning because she was too busy thinking about Naomi. It's just an innocent question, she tells herself, but when she glances up, there's suddenly a little gleam in Effy's eye, and she thinks that maybe it's not so innocent after all. "It's good. It's a really good book. I love the whole series, actually." Emily lets her mouth ramble because books are a subject that she can talk about easily, and something tells her it's better to keep a conversation with Effy occupied with something you feel comfortable with because otherwise she'll make a point of filling it with things you're not.

She's just started to worry that she might be boring Effy, when a flash of blonde catches her eye from her peripheral vision. She turns her head and then has to remind herself to keep breathing when she realises that Naomi is in fact every bit as gorgeous as her memory had made her out to be.

She's truly stunning in a simple white, v-neck t-shirt and light blue skinny jeans. It's as if she's specifically chosen clothes that are loose enough that they give Emily something to imagine, but also cling in just the right way to show off both her figure and her muscles. The thing that really gets Emily, though, is those penetrating blue eyes against her pale skin, framed by her brilliant, if wet, blonde hair. (The soft, pink lips don't hurt the total picture either.)

"You're staring." It's said so quietly and quickly, that Emily thinks she must have imagined it, because suddenly Effy is no longer next to her, but instead striding confidently over to Naomi in a way that Emily only wishes she could emulate.

"Naoms, tell me you brought coffee."

Naomi hands a coffee over to Effy with a slight grin, and then she appears to notice Emily for the first time. Her eyes widen ever so slightly, and Emily's not sure if that's a positive thing or not.

"Hey," Naomi greets her, as Emily approaches slowly, nervously.

"Hey," Emily replies. She's vaguely aware of Effy's eyes darting between them, and a smirk graces her features. It makes Emily uneasy.

"Enjoy having the pool to yourself this morning?"

Emily bites her lip, trying to remember how to convincingly lie. "Yeah. It was quiet," she attempts, but the words sound wrong to her.

Naomi nods, but her expression seems like maybe she's put off a little. "I'd offer you coffee, but I didn't know you'd be with Ef, and I only brought two, and I really need this today."

"I thought you were a morning person," Emily accuses bravely, shooting Naomi a cheeky smile. She rethinks it a split second later when she realises just how stalkerish that makes her sound, spouting out something that she hasn't even observed for herself, but that was instead told to her by someone else entirely.

Naomi seems slightly surprised (or maybe that's just Emily's imagination), but before she has a chance to respond, Effy chimes in. "The water not work it's normal magic this morning?"

Naomi shrugs, then buries her face in her coffee, mumbling, "Didn't sleep that well last night for once."

Effy's eyes light up with mischief and Emily has a feeling that she doesn't want to know why. Instead she offers Naomi a sympathetic, "Sorry."

Naomi shrugs, and continues to drink her coffee.

Emily checks her watch for something to do as she suddenly feels incredibly awkward standing here in front of Naomi and Effy. (Okay, Naomi especially, though she might feel less awkward if her mind would stop noticing the way that her t-shirt is rather see-through in the places that her still wet hair has dripped onto it).

"Crap, it's almost time for class," she mumbles, wishing, despite the awkwardness, that she could just stay and hang out with Naomi and Effy. Sure, they all have class together now, but it's different to think that they might actually _want_ her company, rather than just being forced into it. It'd be nice to have friends to hang out with between classes and even after school here. It'd be nice to be someone other than Katie's twin, to have friends in her own right that aren't just Katie's friends who tolerate her. It'd be really nice if Effy and Naomi were those friends (especially since Effy is exactly the type of effortlessly cool friend that Katie always wants, and part of Emily can't help thinking how awesome it would be to have one up on Katie for once).

Naomi slides her mobile half out of her pocket and nods. "So it is. Guess we'd better get going. You girls ready for another day of fascinating lectures?"

"Oh always," Effy replies, and the wryness in their voices makes Emily let out a soft laugh.

Naomi leads the way, sucking down her coffee until the second she steps into the classroom, and dropping the remains unceremoniously into the bin before the teacher has a chance to complain about it.

Effy hangs back for a second, though. Just long enough to murmur, "You should let that fire come out somewhere other than your hair. Your mouth for instance. It's an attractive characteristic."

Emily is so surprised that she stops short, and the boy trying to enter the classroom behind her ends up walking right into her.

"Move," he grumbles, and she blushes a bright red as she steps aside.

"Sorry," she mumbles, then she looks up to find Effy and Naomi already seated next to each other towards the back of the classroom.

Naomi meets her gaze and beckons her over.

Emily does her best to pretend like the simple gesture doesn't make her heart skip a beat. She takes a deep breath and heads over with what she hopes is a normal, looking smile. As she's taking her seat Effy asks in an off-hand manner that Emily's quickly learning means she's probably more interested than she lets on, "So, Emily, how did _you_ sleep last night?"


	7. Naomi

Turn. Push. Stroke. Breathe.

Naomi glances up at the bleachers as she breathes, but they’re as empty as they were on her last lap. She’s off her game today, and Emily’s absence is, at the very least, partially to blame. It’s just that she’s been there every morning for a week and a half now, but she’s not there this morning. Naomi doesn’t know why. Emily hadn’t said anything about being late today. She should be thankful for the return of her private little morning routine, but she’s grown accustomed to catching the flash of bright red as she swims her laps.

She contemplates cutting her morning laps short for the first time in years, then wonders why that is. It’d be stupid to do that just because she’s not performing her best. She can’t be on top form all the time. It wouldn’t be human, right? She just needs to power through, and focus.

She forces herself to avoid looking at the bleachers for four more laps, but then her eyes travel there unwillingly once more. Still no Emily.

Naomi’s strokes are off as she comes into the wall and she hits it a little hard as she turns, wincing more at the shock than for any pain.

 _Fuck_ , she thinks as she pushes off the wall.

Three more laps and she’s done for the morning, but she’s not happy about it. For the first time she can remember, her morning swim feels like work.

Effy’s waiting for her in the locker room, with a coffee, and Naomi takes a large, eager gulp, before yelping in pain.

“It’s hot,” Effy says in monotone, and all Naomi can do is glare as she keeps her mouth open to try to cool it off.

“Thanks ever so much,” she mumbles when she feels she can close her mouth again. “Some people actually warn people _before_ they take a sip.”

“What’s got your knickers in a twist today? Another bad night’s sleep?”

Naomi glares harder. Effy keeps bringing up the fact that Naomi didn’t sleep well for the first three nights after she met Emily. Actually, she hasn’t quite been sleeping like herself any of the nights since then. It’s a coincidence, Naomi’s sure. Just extra stress now that the school year’s starting up so she has to share her swimming time with busy work handed out by teachers who don’t really care if they learn or not.

“More like a crap swim.”

Effy looks genuinely surprised for a moment, and Naomi can’t blame her.

“That’s not like you.”

“Stating the obvious isn’t like you. Guess we’re both off our game,” Naomi mutters in response, as she opens her locker and grabs a dry towel, then heads to the showers.

Effy follows. “Well, at least you haven’t lost your bitchiness.”

Naomi rolls her eyes as she reaches in to turn on the water. She winces as the cold water hits her hand.

“I bet Emily was disappointed that she didn’t get as good of a show as normal.”

If looks could kill, the look she shot Effy would have had her lying dead in a pool of her own blood. She’s sick of Effy’s assumption that Emily has a crush on her. Okay, so she looks at her rather intensely, but Effy looks at _everybody_ intensely and she sure as fuck doesn’t have a crush on everyone. In fact, Naomi has never known Effy to have what she considers a ‘normal’ crush on anyone. Besides, there’s been no other evidence to suggest that Emily is gay. Of course, there’s been no evidence to suggest she’s straight either. Then, there’s always the possibility that she falls somewhere in between. That’s the likely scenario for everyone, according to Effy. Nobody is completely straight or completely gay as far as Effy is concerned. Naomi’s aware that both her and Effy’s personal histories lean themselves in support of that theory.

Anyway, it doesn’t matter what Emily’s sexuality is. It’s her business. It would be nice if Effy would stop bringing it up, though.

“Just because you want Katie to be gay, doesn’t mean Emily is,” Naomi comments snidely before stepping into the shower. It’s still a touch colder than she’d like, but it’s warm enough, and she knows Effy’s going to be annoyed at her response. Probably half of her annoyance will come at the fact that Naomi actually picked up on her interest in Katie, Naomi knows, although Naomi can’t understand the interest at all.

She peels out of her swimsuit and hangs it up, before letting the warm water of the shower wash over her head.

There’s a long pause, and, if Naomi didn’t know her so well, she might think that Effy had left. Naomi knows her surly mood and snide response isn’t enough to run Effy off, though. Effy’s doing one of two things: 1) biding her time until a good enough retort strikes her, or 2) emphasising the silence in hopes that Naomi will fill it.

Naomi sighs when she’s almost done with her shower and Effy still hasn’t said another word. She turns off the water and reaches out a hand expectantly. When a moment later, her towel has yet to appear in it, she sighs again. “Emily wasn’t there, Ef. Now may I please have my towel?”

Effy complies, and when Naomi emerges from the shower, towel safely wrapped around her, she’s met with Effy’s smirk.

“What?” she demands, doing her best to convey with her voice that she’s too tired for this shit right now.

“Oh, nothing, really. You have a shit swim the first morning that Emily’s not there? It’s just interesting, is all.”

“Fuck off,” Naomi replies, not liking what she’s fairly certain Effy is implying. “Everyone has off days.”

“Usually for a reason,” Effy shoots back, her eyes shining.

“All right, then, All-seeing-one, what’s my reason? Go on, tell me!” Naomi challenges, staring Effy in the eye, daring her to say something.

Effy likes to push people’s buttons, Naomi knows, but right now she fortunately chooses to refrain from it. It’s the little things like that that let Naomi know that Effy does actually love her and value her friendship.

“Better shake out of it by Saturday,” Effy says, and Naomi takes it as her version of a peace offering.

Naomi makes her way to her locker and starts to get dressed. Effy follows and leans against the lockers behind her.

By the time Naomi’s tugging on her grey T-shirt, she’s calmed down enough to let the nagging question of where Emily is this morning seep back into her consciousness.

“Em didn’t mention anything to you about being late today, did she?”

She stares hard at Effy once she’s asked, daring her to smirk. There’s a flicker of one, but Effy quickly covers it with her normal, bored expression. She shrugs. “No. Katie neither.”

Naomi scrunches up her nose. She doesn’t even really know why she cares. Sure she’s become friends of a sort with Emily, but she’s more than just idly curious like she would be if JJ or Freds was late or absent. In fact, all of her emotions and thoughts regarding Emily seem to be a little different than those regarding any of her other friends (except Effy, who’s always been in a class of her own). That alone bothers Naomi, but it’s probably just because Emily’s new in her life right now. There hasn’t been anyone new in her life since her mum started dating Kieran four years ago. Everything new seems more interesting, right? It’s like when Amy McCullen moved there from Manchester and joined the Henleaze Swimming Club, and everyone swarmed around her for a few weeks until the novelty wore off. Naomi’s feelings and thoughts would fade and become more normal as Emily’s presence becomes less of a novelty, surely.

“You could always text her. Find out if she’s all right,” Effy suggests.

Naomi scowls. “I could, but a) I don’t have her number and b) I’m not a stalker.”

Effy shrugs and pulls out her phone. “I’ll text her, then.”

Naomi’s annoyed at the slight pang of what might, possibly be construed as some minor form of jealousy. “You have her number?”

Effy shrugs again, but there’s a cheeky smugness in her eyes when she glances up at her. “Want it?”

Naomi hesitates. It’s weird to get someone’s number from someone else, right? Except there are legitimate reasons she might need it. Besides, they _are_ friends. It’s not like they just met once and now she’s asking Effy for Emily’s number. She shrugs as nonchalantly as possible. “Sure. Why not? Could come in handy.”

Naomi ignores the gleam in Effy’s eye as she takes her phone and looks up Emily’s number before putting it into her own phone. She hands Effy’s phone back and stares at Emily’s number in her own. She _could_ text. Just to see if Emily’s coming in today or if she’ll need notes from today’s lectures. Except school hasn’t even started yet. She might even be there, just not have come to the pool. It would be weird that Naomi even noticed her absence, really, right?

She locks her phone screen and puts the phone away, only to look up and be met with a raised eyebrow from Effy.

“Not going to text her then?”

Naomi shrugs, trying to shrug away not just the question, but also her feeling that she’s behaving silly. “She’s probably just running late, right?”

Effy gives a noncommittal nod of her head as Naomi gathers her belongings. She heads for the exit as Effy pushes off the lockers. “You’d be surprised about Katie, by the way,” Effy murmurs under her breath as she walks past Naomi, who’s holding the door for her.

“I think Katie would be surprised about Katie if what I think you think is the case is actually the case.”

“Hey, Em.”

Naomi freezes as she turns and sees the now familiar bright red hair and the big, curious brown eyes. How had she not noticed her when she’d pushed open the door?

“Hey, Ef,” Emily replies, shooting her a shy smile. “Hi, Naomi,” she adds, turning her smile on Naomi.

Naomi finds herself smiling back at her. “Hi.”

“So what will Katie be surprised about? And why are you talking about my sister?”

Naomi flinches internally, wishing that Emily hadn’t overheard her comment to Effy. “Nothing. No reason.”

Emily raises an eyebrow sceptically. “Riiight….”

“Katie would be surprised about so many things, Emily.”

Emily looks from Effy to Naomi, and Naomi can only return the look that says, “This is Effy being annoyingly all-knowing, again.”

“Anything in particular that I should know about?”

Effy shrugs. “Not right now.”

Naomi rolls her eyes and catches Emily half grinning in amusement at her.

“Naomi was wondering why you weren’t at the pool this morning.”

 _Wonderful. It’s so nice when friends throw you under a bus,_ Naomi thinks. She briefly contemplates throttling Effy, but it probably wouldn’t do any good, and it definitely wouldn’t take back what Effy just said.

She thinks there might be the hints of a blush on Emily’s cheeks when she finally stops glaring at Effy, who is examining her nails and failing to appear innocent, and looks her way.

“Really?” Emily asks, her voice small.

Naomi shrugs as nonchalantly as she can. “I just noticed you weren’t there. You’re hard to miss with the red hair.”

Emily’s expression changes from almost pleased to mildly upset.

“It’s a rather awesome shade of red. Very bold. Not many people could pull it off the way you do.”

Effy coughs, and, Naomi wouldn’t swear to it, but she thinks she might have heard the words “flirt” somewhere in it. She’s not flirting. She wouldn’t flirt. Not with Emily. Certainly not so lamely.

“I mean, it suits you,” she tries again to sound normal, and realises that she’s still failing spectacularly. This is what happens when she doesn’t get a good morning swim in. She’s just off the rest of the day.

Effy coughs again, and Naomi’s sure she hears the word “smooth” in there now. She shoots Effy a warning look.

Emily’s definitely blushing now, though it could very well be because the conversation started out slightly awkward and is now verging on painfully so, Naomi reasons.

“Thanks,” Emily murmurs.

Naomi nods, unsure of what exactly she’s being thanked for. Effy’s smirking, though she’s trying to appear like she’s not, and Naomi can’t resist reaching out and giving her a little shove.

“Hey, look, it’s Cook. See you ladies in class,” Effy says, pointing off down the hallway (though Naomi would bet money that she hasn’t actually just spotted Cook), and Naomi can hear a repressed chuckle as Effy walks away.

“Is she feeling all right?” Emily inquires, looking after Effy’s retreating figure with a puzzled look on her face.

“She’s just being annoying. I think it’s in her DNA.”

Emily giggles and Naomi finds herself smiling in response.

“Oh, you wanted to know why I wasn’t at the pool before. I was just running late. Had to catch a ride with Katie instead of my dad. It was Katie’s fucking fault, too. She took all the hot water this morning and took forever ‘perfecting’ her makeup in the mirror. I think she wanted to look good for Cook, or something, who wasn’t actually there when Effy pointed just now, by the way.”

“She has issues,” Naomi supplies.

Emily giggles again. “So how was your swim?”

“Shit, actually,” Naomi replies, though suddenly she’s not feeling as bad about it.

“I doubt that’s possible for you.”

Naomi glances sidelong at her, and Emily looks away as soon as their eyes meet. Naomi shrugs, eyeing Emily curiously. “Everybody has an off day.”

“I haven’t seen you have one yet.”

Naomi lets out a light laugh. “You haven’t even known me two weeks.”

Emily blushes and looks away.

It doesn’t mean anything, though, right? Emily’s shy. She blushes a lot. Cook’s definitely made her blush, and Naomi’s positive that it’s not because Emily fancies him. And yet…

Naomi feels the words to a question bubbling up on the tip of her tongue, but the bites them back. It’s none of her business, she reminds herself. It’s just Effy putting ideas in her head, anyway. Otherwise she wouldn’t even be wondering.

(It’s not like she’s been seeing intensely focused brown eyes staring at her at night in her dreams. Ones that she can turn around in just about any class and see in real life. It’s not like looks like that mean anything. Or dreams like that, for that matter.)

“What?” Emily asks.

Naomi realises that she’s been staring just a bit while lost in her thoughts, and Emily’s not looking back at her. There’s a slight spark in her eyes that makes Naomi swallow hard. It’s new, and it suits Emily surprisingly well, but it makes Naomi nervous. “What?” she echoes.

“You opened your mouth like you were going to say something, and then you were just looking at me,” Emily challenges, and there’s a braveness to her words that makes Naomi want to dive go back into the pool, dive under the water and lose herself in the tranquillity, and above all, the solitude, that she finds there.

“Sorry, I was just thinking,” she responds lamely.

“About?” Emily asks, and Naomi thinks that maybe she was wrong about Emily being shy at all (but then that might mean that she’s wrong about the blush and the looks not meaning anything, and she’s not sure why that idea unsettles her so much).

Naomi shakes her head and thinks up a quick lie. “Swimming. What’ll happen if I can’t get my head back in the right space before my next race.”

“When’s that?”

“Saturday.”

“Can I come?”

The question lingers between them for a second longer than Naomi’s comfortable with. She’s not sure why she didn’t just say yes immediately. “Sure,” she does reply when hopeful brown eyes are on the verge of looking away. “Be nice to have a cheering section. Maybe you’ll even guilt Effy into coming.”

Except Naomi’s not used to a cheering section. She actually asked her mum to stop coming to her meets about a year before when the over-the-top cheering had started to make her feel embarrassed. And yet, she finds that part of her really does want Emily there. It’s the same part that was disappointed every time she missed the flash of red when she glanced at the bleachers this morning.

“What will Emily guilt me into coming to?” Effy asks, appearing out of nowhere, it seems, and Naomi can’t help but roll her eyes.

“I thought you were going off to talk to Cook,” Naomi says.

“I did. And now I’m back to see if you two plan on attending class this morning.”

Naomi looks around and realises that the hallways have indeed emptied somewhat. She checks her phone for the time and realises they’re on the verge of being late. “Fuck. I’ve still got to go to my locker.”

“Better hurry,” Effy advises. “Now what am I being guilted into?”

“Going to Naomi’s race on Saturday,” Emily replies, as Naomi starts off down the hallway. She realises, as footsteps follow her progression that Effy and Emily are coming with her to her locker.

“I’ve been to her races before.”

“Guess, you’ll come again,” Naomi shoots over her shoulder as she reaches her locker. “Can’t leave Emily alone in the stands.”

“I’ll go to the race if Emily comes to the party Saturday night.”

“Party?” Emily squeaks, and suddenly the confidence that Naomi had heard in her before seems to have vanished. There’s a sort of surprised hopefulness to her voice now.

“Yeah. At mine.”

Naomi rolls her eyes. Parties at Effy’s have a tendency to get out of hand, but she can’t deny that they’re always eventful (and usually fun). “You should come,” she says to Emily as she locates the book she needs for class and closes her locker.

The look that Emily shoots her in response makes Naomi think that she really should know better than to question one of Effy’s assumptions. Sometimes Naomi hates her for it, but the girl really is always right about people.

“Yeah, all right,” Emily agrees. “Sure.”

“It’s a date, then,” Effy comments coolly as they head off to their first class.

“There are three of us,” Naomi mutters in protest under her breath to Effy. “And I’ll be in the water for half of it.”

“Guess it’ll be interesting, then.”

Naomi groans internally. “Why’re we friends again?” she hisses as they take a seat in the back of the classroom just as the teacher rushes in.

“Because you love me, and sometimes I give you just the push you don’t know you need.”

Naomi frowns. What the bloody hell does that mean? “Cryptic much?”

Effy simply shrugs and looks forward, pretending to be attentive as the teacher starts his lecture.

Naomi glances sidelong at Emily, who’s taken the seat on the other side of her. She’s met with curious brown eyes that quickly glance away to the front of the class.

Naomi sucks her lower lip into her mouth and furrows her brows. She doesn’t need interesting in her life. She doesn’t need pushes. What she needs is to focus. On swimming. She turns her attention to the lecture with a promise to herself that she’ll swim some extra laps after practice tonight to make up for this morning.

She can’t let anything distract her from her goals.


	8. Emily

She’s suddenly incredibly nervous, which is ridiculous really. It’s not like she’s the one who’s swimming today. She forces herself to walk away from the mirror, just as she hears the doorbell ring. She heads downstairs, curious who might be at the door. She freezes when she hears her sister greet Effy enthusiastically.

“I’m just here to pick up Emily.”

“Oh.”

Emily can hear the disappointment in Katie’s voice and the implied, “Why would you want to hang out with _her_?” hangs in the following silence.

Emily hurries down the rest of the stairs, trying to keep the puzzlement off of her face. “Hey, Ef.”

“Ready to go?”

“Where are you going?” Katie interjects, planting herself between Emily and Effy.

“Naomi’s got a swim meet today. We’re going to support her,” Emily shoots back, daring her sister to make some petty comment about it. She chooses not to ask Effy why she’s stopping by to pick her up rather than just meeting her at the pool.

Katie raises an eyebrow. “Really?” She looks from Effy to Emily, waiting for one of them to state otherwise, but Effy simply shrugs. “Oh, well…Exciting.”

“She’s quite good. You should see her sometime,” Effy says, and Emily catches a glint in her eye that she thinks might mean something more, but, then again, Effy’s proven incredibly hard to read so far.

“Yeah, well, maybe I’ll come to her next meet or something. Maybe Cook will take me. Does Cook ever go to them?”

Emily rolls her eyes as she heads to the door. She doesn’t want to be late. Not for this. She catches Effy shrugging out of the corner of her eye.

“You could always come with me some time.”

There’s an undertone to her words that Emily’s almost positive she’s not misreading, and when she glances over her shoulder she’s surprised to find her sister almost captivated by Effy’s gaze. Katie shakes herself a moment later and looks away.

“Yeah. Maybe. Anyway, tell her good luck from me.”

Emily resists the urge to roll her eyes again. Katie has shown very little friendliness towards Naomi, although it wasn’t like she was openly hostile towards her either. Katie must be trying to impress Effy or something, she concludes, although why she’s not exactly sure. It’s probably just because Effy exudes the type of effortless coolness and attracts people in a way that Katie would kill for.

“Will do,” Effy agrees. “Got any plans tonight Katie?”

Emily crosses her arms and taps her foot impatiently, but Effy either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care (and from what she’s observed of Effy so far, she’s guessing it’s the latter).

“I would’ve done, but I dumped my loser boyfriend. His eyes were glued to Miranda’s arse all night last night, so I kicked him to the curb.”

“Because your eyes never stray?”

Emily purses her lips at Effy’s challenge. She hadn’t known that Katie had broken up with her boyfriend, but she’s hardly surprised, and she knows that Katie deserves Effy’s accusation.

Katie stands her ground for a moment, meeting Effy’s gaze, but then she looks away, and when she does her cheeks are pink.

“Fancy coming to a party tonight?” Effy asks a moment later.

“A party? Where?”

“At mine.”

Emily knows it’s stupid, but she can’t help feeling disappointed that Effy’s inviting Katie. For once in her life she’d felt special, like the wanted twin, and now she’s just one of two again.

Katie shrugs noncommittally, and Emily knows she’s trying to play it cool. She’s sure that if she knows, Effy knows too.

“Cook’ll be there,” Effy adds.

“Oh?”

“And me, of course.”

There’s definite flirty-ness there. Or…well, more suggestiveness. Sure, Effy’s voice is pretty monotone, but there’s a definite hinting in it now. Emily wonders if Katie’s picking up on it. If she is, it’s not causing the reaction that Emily expects. Katie looks well chuffed at the invitation.

“All right. Yeah. Sounds fun.”

“Great.” Effy reaches out and pushes some hair out of Katie’s face. “See you later then. I’ll text you the details.” She turns quickly, and her expression is bored, but there’s a glimmer in her eyes that Emily thinks she recognises. Effy was totally just hitting on her sister.

But Effy isn’t…She can’t be, can she? She seems so…fluid, Emily concludes. Effy seems fluid. Emily feels like she should have trouble believing this, but she just doesn’t really when she thinks about it for a second. Effy’s definitely barking up the wrong tree, though. Katie’s definitely not gay. Or bi. She’s the straightest person Emily’s ever met. If she wasn’t, maybe Emily would have considered telling her that she…But no. probably she wouldn’t have. It’s her one secret, and she’s still having trouble admitting it to herself. She can’t tell Katie. She doesn’t want to tell Katie. Besides, Katie might tell their mum, and whoever claimed that mothers should love their children unconditionally had clearly never seen the disappointed disapproving looks that Jenna Fitch gave her children on a regular basis. The look that Emily’s mum had given her when she’d dyed her hair was purely scathing.

“Ready, Em? Got everything you’ll need for the rest of the day?”

“What? Why? Aren’t I coming back here after the meet?”

“Nope.”

“But I’m not dressed for tonight.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve got it sorted. Come on.”

Effy pushes past her and starts off down the street, leaving Emily with no choice but to follow. She can’t help grinning at the way her sister looks somewhat put out at the new development in Emily’s social calendar as she leaves.

“I didn’t know you were picking me up,” Emily calls out as she hurries to catch up with Effy.

“I thought you might be a bit nervous. Thought maybe you might need a little shove out the door.”

“What? Why?”

Effy shoots her a look that says simply, ‘Oh don’t play that innocent card with me, I know exactly what you’ve been thinking.’ Emily squirms uncomfortably for a moment, but then there’s no way that Effy could really know, right? Sure, maybe she stares at Naomi a bit too much sometimes, but she hasn’t given herself away. She’s almost sure of that.

“I was fine. I was coming down the stairs to leave when you arrived. I’d have left sooner if you hadn’t come to get me and started _hitting_ on my _sister_.”

Effy flashes her a grin. “It’s going to take her much longer to figure out that that’s what it was, you know.”

Emily stops in her tracks as her suspicions are confirmed. A moment later she’s rushing to catch up with Effy again. “So, what, you fancy girls? You fancy _Katie_??”

Effy shrugs. “She could be interesting if she didn’t try so hard. Does it matter?”

“She’s straight.”

“Just like you?” Effy shoots back.

Emily stops walking again and swallows hard. She’s never admitted it to anyone else. She’s not sure she can, even with Effy seeming like she already knows. “I…I’m…You don’t…”

Effy stops and turns with a sigh. “It doesn’t matter to me, Emily. Girls, boys…they’re just people. People look for connections in this fucked up world. I’ve never understood why so much emphasis is placed on the gender of who some people decide to look for connections with.”

Emily can feel her cheeks flushing, and her palms are getting sweaty. “I’ve never…”

Effy shrugs. “You don’t have to tell me if you’re not ready, but when you are, it doesn’t make a difference to me. It might make a difference to Naomi, but I wouldn’t worry about it.”

“What? I don’t – Why would Naomi -? What does Naomi have to do with anything?”

Effy shoots her a withering look. “If you’re going to pretend not to fancy her, you need to stop looking so infatuated every time you lay eyes on her.”

“I don’t!”

Effy rolls her eyes. “It’s all right. She’s oblivious, for now.”

“You haven’t told her?”

“I’ve tried, but she’s good at being blind when it comes to things like this.”

“Thank God.”

“Really? Wouldn’t it be better if she knew?”

“You just said that it’d make a difference to her! She’ll probably stop speaking to me! Why would that be better?”

Effy rolls her eyes again. “Really? I didn’t say she’d have a _problem_ with it. I just said it _might_ make a difference to her if you’re interested in girls or not.”

“Why?”

“Here I thought you were the smart twin.”

Emily stares at her in disbelief. There’s no way that what Effy’s implying could be true. Maybe Emily’s just misinterpreting her anyway.

“For what it’s worth: if you ever do decide to admit that you fancy girls, and do decide to make a move, she’s quite a good kisser.”

Effy starts on up the street. “Come on. Don’t want to be late,” she calls over her shoulder.

Emily can’t move. Her feet feel stuck to the floor and her heart is suddenly racing. Had she just heard right? Had Effy just implied that she’d kissed Naomi? Had they done more? But they’re best friends! It was probably just some drunken dare at a party or something, Emily tells herself, and it’s enough to make her feet start working again.

“What???” she finally manages as she runs after Effy.

Effy shoots her a grin. “Naomi’s first race is one of the first ones. Come on.”

\--

\--

Emily has trouble catching her breath as she watches Naomi glide through the water. She’s less than half a body length in front of the next closest girl, but she’s showing no signs of fatigue, even though it’s her fourth, and last, race.

Emily can’t take her eyes off of her. Her powerful muscles glisten in the water, her focus seems unshakeable, her arms and legs cut through the water and propel her forward at a remarkable speed. She’s graceful and gorgeous and most excitingly, she’s winning. Then again, she’s won all her races so far.

“You’re drooling,” Effy murmurs beside her, and Emily wipes her mouth self-consciously only to find that Effy was lying.

“Bitch,” Emily grumbles.

“Well, you were hardly being subtle.”

Emily bites her lower lip as she tears her gaze away from Naomi to glare at Effy. She frowns a moment later, when Effy’s just looking at her with an expectant expression.

Emily takes a deep breath and turns her gaze back to Naomi. One more lap and she’ll have won it. Emily feels her heart racing. The tension of whether or not Naomi will win is only part of it. The next closest girl is finishing strong, but Naomi’s body is jetting through the water like a rocket. “Come on, Naomi,” she mumbles under her breath. She’s clenching her hands tightly at her sides, her whole body tense, expectant.

Naomi touches the wall first, and Emily’s up and out of her seat, cheering and clapping excitedly. She feels more than sees Effy stand beside her, and start to clap as well.

She takes another deep breath. Quietly, tentatively, just loud enough for Effy to hear over the roar of the other cheers around them, Emily says, “So maybe I like girls.”

There’s no response at first, and Emily doesn’t really mind because her eyes are drinking in the way even her eyes are smiling as much as her beautiful lips when she rips off her goggles and the way Naomi’s hair falls beautifully around her face when she pulls off her cap,. Emily’s eyes trace Naomi’s body as she pushes herself out of the water and is immediately tackled in a hug by one of her teammates. There’s water cascading beautifully off her body and, what a gorgeous muscular body it is. A few minutes later, though, she realises that she needs a response, so she looks at Effy. To her surprise, Effy looks almost proud.

“Was that so hard?” Effy asks with a grin.

“Yes,” Emily replies, feeling herself blushing. To her surprise, Effy pulls her into a hug.

“’You’ll live,” Effy mutters into her hair. “Come on. Let’s go congratulate our little swimming star.”

Effy pulls away and takes Emily’s hand, leading her through the stands towards the stairs.

Emily finds her eyes tracking Naomi’s movements as they go, watching her as she towels off a bit, then pulls on track suit bottoms and a jacket with the team logo on it.

Effy lets go of Emily’s hand when they near Naomi, who’s busy talking excitedly with one of her teammates, a girl an inch or two taller than Naomi with short brown hair, who Emily thinks might have won a few of her races as well.

Effy wraps Naomi in a hug from behind, and Naomi turns and squeals in happiness when she sees who it is, hugging Effy back tightly.

“Guess you got your focus back,” Effy comments.

“Can you believe I won all four races?” Naomi gushes, sounding ecstatic.

“I’d say yes, but it’d go to your head,” Effy’s reply reaches Emily’s ears, muffled by Naomi’s shoulder.

Naomi shoves Effy away playfully. “Bitch.”

Effy turns to the brunette beside Naomi and says, “All right, Sophie. Good show today.”

“Cheers, Ef. Not done as good as our all-star, though, have I?” the girl replies, nudging Naomi in the side, and Emily can tell just from her demeanour that she’s well proud of her.

Naomi’s blushing slightly, but there’s a brilliant grin on her face, and Emily can tell she’s quite pleased with herself as well.

“Someone else is here to congratulate you,” Effy says as she nods in Emily’s direction.

It’s then that Naomi notices her for the first time, and the grin that Naomi offers her makes Emily’s heart skip a beat.

“You made it! What’d you think?” Naomi asks, pulling Emily in for a quick hug.

Emily’s momentarily stunned by the gesture, but it’s all too brief.

“Oh, sorry,” Naomi mutters as she pulls away. “I’m all wet still.”

Emily swallows hard as she wills her face to stay neutral. She hadn’t even noticed. All she’d thought was that Naomi’s arms were wrapped around her and that despite the distinct smell of chlorine, Naomi had still managed to smell good.

“Oi! You didn’t apologise for getting me wet!” Effy protests.

“You hugged me. That’s on you,” Naomi shoots back with a wink. “Poor Emily didn’t expect to get wet just coming to watch a swim meet, though.”

The look that Effy shoots her makes at that comment makes her blush, but she forces herself to respond. She needs to at least pretend she’s a normal person, or she’ll scare Naomi off. “No, it’s fine. You were brilliant, as always! Congratulations on winning all your races!”

“Wait, this is Emily?” Naomi’s teammate interjects. “Pool stalker, Emily?”

Emily frowns. She’s torn. On the one hand, Naomi’s clearly mentioned her, but on the other the stalker rumour is back.

Naomi rolls her eyes. “I told you she wasn’t really.”

“Right, sorry. I just meant the girl who likes to sit in while Naoms does her morning swim. Nice to meet you. I’m Sophie.”

“Emily,” Emily replies, extending her hand to take the one that’s offered by Sophie.

“You coming to mine tonight, Soph?” Effy asks as Naomi turns back to Emily with a smile.

“Can’t. Meeting Damien.”

“Who didn’t even show up,” Naomi throws over her shoulder, and Emily can hear the disapproval in her voice.

“He had to go shopping for his mum,” Sophie replies defensively. “Anyway, he’s taking me out to dinner tonight.”

“Well it’d better be a nice one after what he said the other day,” Naomi shoots back.

“Do we need to stick Cook on him?” Effy asks.

Sophie shakes her head. “No. It’s fine. He’s apologised.”

As Emily continues to watch the conversation unfold, she can’t help but feel out of place. She feels like she’s intruding on this little world where people have known each other forever and know the ins and outs of each other’s lives. She barely knows anything about any of them, and she knows it’s stupid, but she feels a bit jealous.

“If he doesn’t do more than apologise next time, we won’t need to stick Cook on him. I’ll deal with him myself,” Naomi replies, and Emily feels herself melt a little at just how loyal Naomi clearly is to her friend. “Anyway,” Naomi mumbles as Effy waves her off, “did you have fun?”

Emily’s eyes widen in surprise. “Yeah! Of course!”

“I know it’s not that exciting to just watch –“

“Are you kidding? My heart was in my throat every time you raced. I never realised how tense swimming could be.”

Emily instantly regrets her words. She’s coming off too keen, she’s sure of it. Except then Naomi laughs, and it’s light and melodic, and it makes Emily feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

“Well, good. I’m glad you weren’t bored, then.”

Emily shakes her head. “Definitely not bored.”

“So what’re you doing with the rest of your day, then? Until the party, of course.”

“She’s hanging out with us,” Effy interjects, sliding an arm around Naomi’s waist.

“Oh?”

Emily shrugs helplessly. Effy had staunchly refused to tell her anything on the way to the meet. “Effy stopped by my house and kind of kidnapped me this morning.”

Naomi nudges Effy in the side. “Bully.”

“More like rescued,” Effy replies coolly.

Naomi eyes Emily up and down. “She looks pretty capable of rescuing herself, Ef.”

“She needs clothes for tonight. Do you really think Katie’s the type to share her wardrobe?”

Naomi frowns. “Point. Right, let me shower and change, and then we can get on with it.”

“Take your time,” Effy replies, stepping away and sounding almost bored.

Naomi rolls her eyes and then gives Emily a quick smile that sets Emily’s heart aflutter.

“See you soon,” Naomi promises before disappearing along with some other swimmers.

Emily turns to Effy, who’s simply smirking at her. Sophie’s no longer anywhere to be seen. She must have gone to shower and change as well.

“Having a good day?” Effy asks with one eyebrow raised.

Emily blushes. “It’s all right,” she replies, trying to sound nonchalant.

“Get hugs from attractive, leggy blondes who you’ve got a crush on all the time, then?”

Emily really wishes that Effy hadn’t noticed her reaction to the hug. “Shut up.”

Effy grins, and throws an arm around Emily. “Ah, Emily. You really should be nicer to her friends. Especially ones that have _kidnapped_ you for the day.”

“Well, you more or less did. You won’t tell me anything about what you have planned, and apparently Naomi knows nothing about it.”

Effy simply shrugs. “Guess you’ll just have to wait and find out.”

“Ef, you won’t tell Naomi, will you? What I said before?”

Effy steps back and gives her a long look. “Emily, you’re going to have to learn to trust me.”

Emily nods, but she can’t help noticing that that wasn’t exactly a ‘yes’. 


	9. Naomi

“Are you gonna tell me what you’re up to?”

Effy shrugs and Naomi rolls her eyes.

“Who says I’m up to anything?”

“Effy, I’ve known you since we were six. You’re _always_ up to something.”

“Well, at the moment, it’s trying to make sure Emily looks hot for the party tonight.”

“And that involves _your_ wardrobe, does it?”

“What exactly are you implying, Campbell?”

“Just not sure if you’re trying to make her look hot, or trying to make her look like a whore, is all.”

Effy pinches Naomi in the side, and Naomi shrieks as she bats her away.

“I suppose you think your wardrobe is better?”

“Well I tend not to intentionally cut holes in new clothes to make sure they show off more of my body.”

“True. You just have a lovely collection of sweaters my gran wouldn’t wear.”

Naomi gives Effy a shove. “I like to be comfy.”

“Tonight we’re all going to look hot. Comfort is not a priority. It’s good to leave one’s comfort zone sometimes.”

Naomi looks sharply at Effy. She’s learned over the years that it’s best, when in doubt, to assume that there are two meanings to Effy’s words. She’s not sure she likes the possibilities for what else Effy might have meant by her last comment.

“So why did you kidnap Emily?”

Effy shrugs again, and her expression is largely bored, but there’s a glimmer in her eyes that Naomi catches, and it makes her curious. “Thought it would be fun.”

There’s a clearing of a throat, and Naomi and Effy look up to the doorway, where Emily’s now standing.

“Well? Do I look as ridiculous as I feel?”

Naomi lets her eyes take in Emily’s current look. It’s hot, definitely. Quite hot, actually. But it’s not _Emily_. The lacy black top seemed a touch long on her and she clearly felt awkward in it. The short skirt hugged Emily’s hips attractively, but was just a touch _too_ short.

“No, but that’s not the outfit,” Effy replies.

“Definitely not,” Naomi agrees. “Hot, but not you.”

She doesn’t miss the way that Emily’s cheeks flush pink, and she kind of wishes that she had.

“Ef, find the girl some jeans,” Naomi instructs, moving to her bag on the floor and beginning to rummage through it.

“They’ll be long on her,” Effy argues.

“Shorts, then.”

“It’s cold.”

“Do you own a skirt that isn’t tarty?”

Effy glares as she stalks to her wardrobe, but Naomi ignores it. Instead, she lets herself get distracted by Emily’s small giggle.

“Here. Try this,” Naomi says, producing a long grey striped shirt with some black tiger stripes around it going horizontally and a large, teal butterfly across the front.

“It’s so pretty.”

“It’s long enough you might even be able to pull it off as a dress, if you want.”

“Here. Put these on under it,” Effy instructs, emerging from her wardrobe holding black leggings. “Hopefully they won’t be long.”

“Thanks,” Emily murmurs, and Naomi can’t help but notice the way her eyes flick shyly up to meet her own.

Naomi swallows hard, and manages a smile. “Yeah. No problem. You’re lucky I brought more than one shirt.”

“You’re lucky I usually make her bring more than one shirt, so I can choose what looks hottest on her,” Effy amends.

“Thanks,” Emily mumbles again. She looks from the items of clothing now in her hands to Effy to Naomi and then back to her hands, then she shrugs and heads back to the bathroom to change again.

Naomi watches her leave, thinking, not for the first time, that Emily’s rather adorably petite.

“You fancy her,” Effy mutters in her ear.

Naomi groans. “Fuck off.”

“You do.”

“I don’t.”

“Don’t try to pretend you’re straight. I’ve slept with you. I know better.”

“Effy, you know you’re the only girl I’ve ever slept with, and that was so much less to do with me fancying you or you being a girl, and so much more to do with you and I being such good mates that I knew you wouldn’t read anything in to me needing to scratch an itch.”

“Plus it was fun.”

Naomi can’t deny that. If Effy is anything, it’s a good shag. “Not the point.”

“No,” Effy agrees. “The point is that you find her interesting, and I can’t remember you ever finding someone as interesting as you find her.”

“Even if you were right –“

“Aha!”

“I said ‘even if’. I didn’t say that you were definitely right, I was just posing a hypothetical.”

“Okay, except I am right.”

“Effy!”

“Go on.”

“Right, so _even if_ you were right, you have no proof that Emily’s even in to girls, which would make me fancying her –“

“Which you do.”

“- irrelevant.” Naomi rolls her eyes.

“And If I had proof?”

Naomi eyes her suspiciously. “Like what?”

Effy shrugs nonchalantly, but Naomi can tell she’s feeling smug about something.

“Like what, Stonem?” Naomi asks through gritted teeth.

“An admission?”

“She admitted she’s gay?”

“If she did, would it matter?”

Naomi glares hard. The truth is, that yes, it would. She doesn’t know why, exactly, or she doesn’t want to know why. She doesn’t need complications or distractions in her life. Emily has done nothing but distract her focus since she met her, though, so she doesn’t know why she keeps seeking her company. Well, she does. She’s friends with her. And Effy’s not wrong. Of course she’s not. She’s never fucking wrong. Naomi does find Emily interesting. She’s just different, somehow, than all the other girls at school. She’s different than anyone else Naomi’s ever met.

Effy smirks. “Exactly.”

“Effy, tell me what you know, or what you _think_ you know, right now!” Naomi demands, crossing to Effy, who simply stares back at her calmly.

“Admit you like her,” Effy challenges, meeting her gaze without flinching.

Naomi groans and rolls her eyes, stepping away. “You’re impossible. Do you know that?”

She can’t admit it. She doesn’t even know for sure if it’s true. She needs it not to be true, though. She needs to focus on swimming. She’s almost done with school. If she wants to swim professionally, she needs to get a move on, and get noticed and properly apply herself. She can’t afford to let anyone or anything distract her from her goals. She needs to focus on shaving precious seconds off her times. She needs to focus on practices and meets. She needs to not focus on cute redheads who seem to have gotten under her skin remarkably quickly and for no readily apparent reason.

“You love me anyway,” Effy retorts, looking far too smug for Naomi’s liking.

“Okay, I feel better in this outfit, but what do you think?” Emily asks, rounding the corner back into Effy’s bedroom.

Naomi turns and her eyes rake down Emily’s body without her express consent. The shirt ( _her_ shirt, she reminds herself) hugs Emily’s body perfectly. It’s just long enough to act as a rather short dress on her. The black leggings work, too. They’re not too long, and they show off her legs nicely, making her seem a little taller, somehow. “Hot,” Naomi’s mouth betrays her before her brain’s caught up.

“Definitely hot,” Effy echoes, and when Naomi glances at her, she’s smirking. Effy turns on her. “Time to find you an outfit.”

“I have an outfit, thank you very much.”

“Has it met with my approval?”

“I didn’t know I needed your approval.”

“You two bicker like sisters. Do you know that?” Emily asks with a giggle.

Naomi turns to find her covering her mouth as she laughs adorably. People should not be allowed to look hot and adorable at the same time, she decides, as she feels her grasp on her focus slip slightly. She forces herself to turn back to Effy, whose smugness is starting to get annoying now. “Yeah, well, lucky for me, I don’t actually have to live with her full time.”

“You are staying tonight, though.”

Naomi rolls her eyes. “Shirt’s in my bag.”

“You’re just wearing a shirt?”

“Thought I’d just wear these jeans under it.”

Effy rummages through Naomi’s bag and comes up holding the long, peacock coloured top she’d packed. It’s tight and has a low enough neckline to show off just a hint of cleavage, which she knows Effy will approve of.

Effy shakes her head. “Not jeans.”

Naomi rolls her eyes again. “What, then, oh queen of fashion?”

Emily laughs again. “Katie thinks that’s her.”

Naomi grins. “Really? She thinks leopard print is in, does she?”

Emily shrugs as she laughs. “Apparently.”

“You could do leggings under that,” Effy muses, still eying the top.

 “I haven’t brought any.”

“Good thing I’ve got more in my wardrobe,” Effy replies. “You want black or white?”

“White.”

“You don’t think that’s too virginal?”

Naomi glares. “You fucking offered. And no, anyway. What are you implying?”

“Nothing,” Effy answers a little too quickly, and when Naomi glares, Effy’s smirking again.

Effy tosses Naomi her shirt and makes her way back to her closet. Naomi glances at Emily and finds her eying her curiously.

“I’m not a slag,” Naomi says, feeling the urge to defend herself against accusations that haven’t even been voiced.

“I didn’t say anything! I wouldn’t know,” Emily replies, holding up her hands.

“Don’t worry, girls. I’m sure if anyone takes that role out of us three, it’s me,” Effy comments as she crosses to Naomi and hands her the leggings.

Emily giggles again, and it’s Naomi’s turn to smirk.

“At least you can admit it,” she mutters as she takes the leggings. “Shall I go try this on for her majesty’s approval?” she asks snidely.

“Please,” Effy replies, shooting her a look.

Naomi shakes her head as she leaves Effy’s room. She pauses halfway to the bathroom when she hears Effy and Emily start to talk. She’s not sure she entirely trusts Effy alone with Emily. When Effy gets ideas in her head, she has a tendency to act on them, and she’s clearly decided that Naomi fancies Emily. That’s a dangerous thing. Naomi’s also not sure that Effy’s entirely inaccurate in her assumptions. She doesn’t want Effy to be accurate, she thinks as she moves on towards the bathroom and closes the door firmly behind her. She doesn’t want to fancy Emily. She can’t really, can she? She’s barely known her long enough to form feelings for her, romantic or otherwise.

Naomi’s wriggling on her top when the thoughts she hasn’t wanted to think since this morning finally hit her. Having Emily at her race this morning spurred her on. It made her want to race that much faster and swim that much better. She was trying to impress her, she realises. And it worked. Well, she’s not sure if she impressed her or not, but she swam well. She could feel herself swimming well. She could feel herself gliding through the water like she was born to do it. It felt right. She’d won, too. No, it wasn’t all thanks to Emily. It was her hard training and her determination and her focus, but can she really deny that Emily’s presence gave her a little extra shove in the right direction?

Naomi looks at herself in the mirror.

“You might be in trouble, Campbell.”

\--

\--

  
“Having fun, then?” Naomi asks, nudging Emily in the side and then regretting it as her drink sloshes over the sides of her cup and splashes her hand. She shakes it off, cringing in the process, but Emily giggles, and Naomi finds herself smiling despite her wet hand.

“Yeah,” Emily confirms.

“Good.” Naomi takes another long sip of her drink.

“So are you really allowed to drink with all your intense training?”

Naomi shrugs. “I drink way less than most of the girls on the team. It’s the one vice most of us indulge in. That and caffeine.”

Emily giggles again, and Naomi can’t help thinking that she quite likes the sound. She looks across the crowded room and catches Effy shooting her a knowing look. Effy is unsurprisingly surrounded by blokes who’d like to shag her, but Naomi notices that Katie and Cook aren’t very far away at all, and she’s sure Effy’s got her reasons for that. They’re all dancing, and it looks like fun.

“Tell me, do you dance, Fitch?”

“What?”

“Dancing. Moving your body in time to the music. Or not in time, depending on who you are and your level of coordination. Do you do it?”

“Oh, um, yes. I guess.”

Naomi eyes Emily up. She has to admit that Effy really did make her look hot. The outfit was just the start. She’d done Emily’s hair in pretty, loose curls, and given her just the perfect amount of makeup. She looked almost like a really pretty doll that someone had dressed up, with her perfect porcelain skin and her rosebud lips. Such pretty pink lips. Lips that are currently pulled back into a shy smile as a blush settles on Emily’s cheeks.

Naomi shakes her head. Maybe her tolerance for alcohol isn’t what it once was, or maybe she’s just letting the party atmosphere carry her away, but either way, she’s feeling like she’s less in control of her thoughts than she normally is.

She sets down her drink on the first flat surface she finds, and holds out her hand to Emily. “Come on, then.”

Emily’s hand feels warm in hers, and it’s a touch sweaty, but Naomi finds that she doesn’t mind that.

Naomi specifically avoids looking at Effy as she moves into the crowded area of Effy’s living room that she and Effy and Emily had cleared of its furniture earlier to form a bit of a dance floor. There are people squeezing in on either side of them, and normally it would bother Naomi, but when Emily stumbles and almost falls into her, she thinks that the other people are a good excuse to keep her close.

These are dangerous thoughts that she’s having, and somewhere she’s aware of that fact, but for the moment, she’s just willing to pretend that they’re not. She so rarely indulges, after all.

She lets the music start to take her, feeling the pumping of the bass, and letting her body move in time with it. It takes her a moment to realise that Emily’s hand is still in her own, but when she does she spins Emily with a grin, moving her closer.

The smile that Emily shoots up at her produces a feeling in her that makes the warm buzz from the alcohol pale in comparison.

She drops Emily’s hand only to slide her hand around Emily’s waist. _Just two girl friends dancing together at a party. Two girls who happen to be friends dancing together,_ she tells herself as Emily’s body brushes lightly against her own. She looks down and finds a far bolder Emily than she’d expected to see looking back at her. It makes her breath hitch, and suddenly she’s wondering if maybe this was a good idea after all. Her body feels flushed and her mind feels overwhelmed.

“It’s hot in here,” she complains, but Emily can’t hear her over the music, so she has to lean in and repeat herself. It’s not a good idea, though, because suddenly she can smell the clean, flowery perfume of her shampoo, and it smells so inviting. “It’s too hot! I’m just gonna slip out back for a breather!”

She slides her way around Emily, acutely aware of every inch of her skin that touches Emily’s as people bump and jostle her even closer to Emily.

Maybe she should cut out drinking, she things as she makes her way to the back door. She lets the door drop behind her only to hear a small “oomph” as Emily catches it.

“Oh, sorry. You didn’t have to come.”

Emily shrugs, and Naomi expects to see the shyness returned now that they’re away from the party atmosphere, but Emily’s meeting her gaze and there’s a spark in her eyes that makes Naomi uneasy.

“I like spending time with you. Besides, I don’t know anyone else in there, really, besides Effy and Cook, both of whom seem to be trying to flirt with my sister.”

“You noticed that?”

“Katie’s straight. You should tell Effy. I tried, but she didn’t listen.”

“Are you sure?”

“That she didn’t listen or that Katie’s straight?”

“That Katie’s straight.”

“Umm, yes! Why?”

Naomi shrugs. “Because Effy’s never wrong.”

Her own words echo in her head. They’re ludicrous, obviously, because nobody’s infallible. Except she can’t come up with a specific example from the past few years when Effy’s been wrong about something like this. Sure she’s been wrong about some things. She makes stupid decisions and fucks people she shouldn’t. She overdoes with the smoking and the drugs sometimes. But she doesn’t read situations wrong. She doesn’t read people wrong. She didn’t read Naomi’s feelings wrong.

_Fuck._

Naomi wishes that she still smoked because then it would give her hands something to do, and the hit of nicotine might relax her a bit. She knows it’s not worth it in the long run, but right now, she’d kill for a cigarette.

She moves to a stone bench along one hedge and takes a seat. Emily follows suit, and now the heat from inside seems to have moved outside because Emily’s arm is pressed against her own.

“Effy’s wrong about Katie. She’s my twin. I’d know.”

“So she knows everything about you, then?”

Naomi makes the mistake of looking at her then. Emily’s eyes are dark and focused, and what they’re focused on is her.

There’s a hesitation, and then Emily’s shaking her head. “No. Not everything.”

Her voice is quieter, and Naomi finds herself leaning closer just to properly hear her. “All right, then. Tell me something about yourself that Katie doesn’t know.”

Emily shrugs, but she doesn’t break the eye contact. “Like what?”

Alarm bells are going off in Naomi’s head, but she ignores them. This is dangerous. Emily is dangerous. Emily is what’s been keeping her up at night and what made her have a crap morning swim the other day, and yet, she wants to continue sitting there with her.

Emily appears to be struggling with a response, and then it happens. Emily’s eyes flick to Naomi’s lips. Naomi doesn’t miss it.

 _Just back away. Just stand. Just move across the garden. Just go back inside._ She tells herself all of that and more, and she ignores it because now her eyes are on Emily’s lips, and Emily’s tongue is darting out to wet those lips, and they glisten slightly in the light from the house and they look oh-so-soft.

“She doesn’t know this,” Naomi barely hears Emily mumble as Emily leans and a cacophony of conflicting noise and emotion rattles around Naomi’s head.

Emily’s lips are soft against hers, and the kiss is tender. She should move away. She should break it.

She doesn’t.

She stays, and she presses her lips back to Emily’s. On some level she’s aware of the way her whole body is shaking slightly, as if the hum of electricity she feels radiating from her lips is forcing her to move. On some level she’s aware of the way her heart is suddenly threatening to beat its way right out of her chest. On some level she’s aware that they’re outside at a party full of people she knows and anyone could just walk out at any second and see her making a decision that she really shouldn’t be making, especially not while her judgment’s partially impaired by alcohol. On no level does she care about any of that right now, in this second.

Emily’s lips start to move, and Naomi can feel the fire and the need in them. Emily’s lips are demanding something of her, and she wants to give it and doesn’t want to give it at the same time. Emily’s tongue brushes against her lips and she parts them. The next swipe of Emily’s tongue connects with her own, and it’s soft and she tastes sweet.

There’s a sort of pressure starting in Naomi’s chest now, like if she’s swum too deep, and it feels like it’s swallowing her as Emily continues to kiss her. She has to pull away or she’ll drown in it.

She breaks the kiss and pulls away, but she can’t bring herself to stand. Instead, she just looks into Emily’s dark eyes, and she sees want there.

“Oh,” she murmurs softly, voice barely above a whisper.

Emily’s shaking too, she realises a moment later. Maybe she’s not the only one who’s conflicted over this. There’s an almost defiant expression on her face, though. It’s as if she’s daring Naomi to react badly.

Naomi swallows hard as a scary thought hits her.

“You’re really a lot braver than you come across, aren’t you?”

Emily smiles a shy smile, but her eyes hint at mischief and strength. “I don’t know.”

Naomi turns away, then. Unsure if she’ll be able to start breathing normally again if she continues to look at Emily.

She takes a deep breath. “Well, that was unexpected.” Except it wasn’t. She’s been expecting it all night on some level.

“Effy didn’t tell you that I’m…that I like…you know…girls?”

“So you did tell her?”

Emily shrugs. “Yeah. Earlier. She’s the first person I’ve ever told.”

Naomi nods. “She might have suggested she knew something, but, no, she wouldn’t outright confirm it.”

Silence settles between them and it’s neither awkward nor comfortable, but instead resides somewhere in between, fluctuating between the two points.

“So, how do you…I mean did you…Are you –“

“Gay?” Naomi finishes the last of the sentences Emily was trying to get out.

She glances back at her, and the shy Emily she’s come to know is back, looking sheepish, not making eye contact. She feels instantly more comfortable with this Emily.

“No.”

“Oh,” Emily says, and she sounds so downtrodden that Naomi just has to reach out and take her hand. She fiddles with her fingers when the moment stretches on without Emily looking up at her.

“I don’t know what I am,” she offers. “I’m a swimmer. That’s been my main identity for so long I’m not sure I’ve bothered paying attention to what else I am.”

“Oh.” There’s a touch more hope in Emily’s voice now, but she’s still not looking up.

Naomi’s not sure she really wants to give her hope, though. She’s not sure she’s ready to. She pulls her hands back and puts her elbows on her knees, leaning forward to rest her head in her hands.

“Effy suggested…At least, I think she hinted earlier that you and she had kissed?”

Naomi shakes her head and smiles. Of fucking course, Effy would have. “Something like that,” she confirms.

“So you’ve considered girls before?”

“To be honest, I’ve barely considered anyone properly, Em. I have to focus on my swimming. I can’t have distractions like boyfriends…or girlfriends.”

“Oh.”

Naomi glances back at Emily. “I do wish you’d stop saying that.”

“Sorry.”

The silence returns, bringing more awkwardness with it this time.

“So was that your first kiss?”

“No! I mean…Not like my first kiss ever. Just my first kiss with a girl.”

Naomi nods.

“And you’re definitely completely gay? No interest in guys?”

“None.”

Naomi’s not sure if that should bother her or not, but it doesn’t really. She’s always been too wrapped up in swimming to give a fuck what others think about her.

“But you’re not out.”

“No.”

“What are you two up to?”

Effy’s voice breaks the illusion of the bubble that’s settled around them.

Naomi looks up with a start, then relaxes. Effy will know one way or the other.

“Talking about gayness.”

“Oh?”

To anyone else, Naomi knows that Effy would just sound bored, but Naomi can hear the curiosity in the simple syllable.

“Mine,” Emily offers a moment later.

“Coming out in leaps and bounds now, are we?” Effy asks, crossing to them and lighting up a cigarette.

Naomi feels the itch to take a drag start up in her again, but she pushes it away.

“No. Please don’t tell Katie.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Effy replies before blowing a smoke ring.

Naomi watches it float away and remembers back when she still smoked and she and Effy were first learning how to do that. She’d learned it first, but Effy had done it better.

“What about you, Naomi?”

“I’m not gay.”

“You’re not straight.”

Naomi shrugs. “Apparently.”

Effy’s eyes narrow. “Did something else happen?”

Naomi stands and plucks the cigarette out of her hand. One drag won’t kill her. She’ll regret it come morning when her throat burns more than usual, she’s sure, but it won’t kill her. She inhales deeply, then blows a smoke ring of her own out into the night. “Turns out Emily’s got really soft lips.”

Effy grins. “Yeah?”

Naomi doesn’t look at Emily. She knows she’s probably blushing. She knows that seeing that will only make her want to kiss her again, and she already wants that. She can’t though. It’s not good for her. It’s already made her take a drag of the cigarette. She takes another small puff then hands it back to Effy to remove the temptation.

“You know you’ll yell at me for letting you do that tomorrow.”

“Kiss me?” Emily asks, sounding upset.

“Smoke,” Naomi replies. “It’s bad for my swimming.”

“It’s bad for everyone.”

“And yet it feels so damn good,” Effy retorts as she takes another drag.

Naomi smirks, then risks a glance back at Emily, who’s watching them both with an apprehensive expression.

“We won’t tell anyone,” Naomi informs her.

“I think she was more concerned about whether or not she’d get to kiss you again,” Effy comments dryly.

Naomi swallows hard when Emily doesn’t deny it. “I’ve got practices. And coursework. And uni applications. I barely get time to relax and hang out. I’m no fun, really.”

It’s not an answer, but it’s as much of one as Naomi has. She wants to say yes, but she shouldn’t.

“I beg to differ on that last point, and I’m sure I’m not the only one,” Effy comments, and Naomi knows, without having to check, the exact look that’s on her face. It’s the ‘I know you’re being dense and stupid, and I’ll let it slide for now, but not forever’ look, and it’s not the first time Naomi’s been on the receiving end of it.

“It’s cool. I get it.”

Naomi takes a deep breath, trying to push off the sudden pressure she feels in her chest at the disappointment in Emily’s voice and written all over her face. She doesn’t get it at all. Naomi’s not sure she even gets it herself, really.

“She’s not saying no.”

Leave it to Effy to step in and take over, Naomi thinks.

“It’s not really a yes, either, though, is it?” Emily asks, and now Naomi feels like she might as well not be present for the conversation because apparently she’s not needed.

“I can’t promise anything. I haven’t got the time to promise anything. I have to focus on –“

“Swimming,” Effy and Emily cut her off in unison.

Naomi crosses her arms, feeling annoyance bubbling up now. “I’ve worked too hard for too long to get distracted from it.”

Effy shoots her another look that she’s received before, and Naomi acknowledges it with a small nod and a glare.

“Well, maybe I’ll see you at your morning swim on Monday, then,” Emily comments, standing and stretching. “I’m kind of tired. I think I’m going to head home.”

Naomi really doesn’t like the word ‘maybe’ in Emily’s sentence. “I like when you’re there. I’ve grown accustomed to your ‘reading’ there.”

Emily smiles, then, and Naomi knows that she’s teetering on a very thin tightrope and she might have just leaned too far one way again.

“Okay. See you Monday, then.”

Naomi and Effy watch Emily walk away in silence.

Effy gives Naomi a withering look once the door’s closed behind Emily.

“I know,” Naomi mutters before stalking inside.

\--

\--

“You’re being an idiot.”

Naomi sighs and rolls onto her side, away from Effy, but not before giving her legs a shove. “Your feet smell.”

“You like her. She likes you.”

“I have to focus on swimming.”

“That’s sounding more and more like an excuse to hide from the rest of your life every time you say it.”

Naomi scowls into the darkness of the room. Effy’s right, of course, but that doesn’t make her need to focus on swimming any less true. “So I’m here because you couldn’t pull Katie, then?”

“If you were here only because I couldn’t pull Katie, you’d be naked and up here rather than in pyjamas with my feet in your face.”

Naomi snorts. “Still, you couldn’t pull her.”

She feels Effy shrug.

“It’s early days yet. I was never trying to get her in to bed tonight. I figured you’d be staying over. I figured I’d have to talk some sense into you.”

Naomi sighs again.

“You are being a total idiot.”

Naomi closes her eyes. “Yeah. Not sure I’m ready to change that, though.”

“Work on it.”


	10. Emily

She tells herself not to get her hopes up as she settles in the stands with her book Monday morning. She's beat Naomi there, but she's not surprised. She didn't sleep well last night and she didn't feel like lying around in bed this morning or being subjected to more of Katie dishing about what a great shag Cook is and how Emily needs to find herself a bloke. 

"Maybe Freddie's up for it," Katie had suggested on Sunday afternoon. 

Emily had imagined briefly how absurd she'd look standing next to someone as tall as Freddie and laughed. She hadn't been brave enough to tell Katie that she didn't want Freddie or anyone like him. 

She doesn't want a _him_ at all. She doesn't want just any _her_ , either. She wants Naomi. 

She looks out over the still water of the pool and breathes in the chlorine. Her brain is flooded with thoughts of Naomi: the way she looked in that tight peacock blue top on Saturday, the way her body had moved against her own when they were dancing, the way her voice grew raspier after she'd taken a drag of a cigarette, the way her lips felt pressed against her own. Emily had melted into those lips. She'd let herself get lost in their softness and their gentle caress. She'd let herself believe she felt pure, raw desire in the way they kissed her back. 

The door to the locker room swinging open shakes her out of her thoughts, and she can’t help the way her chest constricts and her heart skips a beat when she looks up and sees Naomi walking through it, white track suit on over a blue swimming costume.

Emily watches silently as Naomi scans her surroundings. She's unsure, now that she sees her, if she's ready to see what Naomi's reaction will be to her two days after their kiss. Naomi's eyes find her, and Emily feels a hint of relief at the shy smile that's sent her way. She offers her own tentative smile back. 

She's not surprised when no words are exchanged. Emily's grown accustomed to the way that Naomi just likes to get in the water and swim first thing. Besides, she can see Naomi's got her headphones in.   
Emily doesn't even bother opening the book in her lap as Naomi sheds her track suit, closes her eyes to focus, then takes her headphones out and sets them carefully down. Emily's not even spared a glance as Naomi makes her way to a diving block, climbs up, poises herself to dive, then holds, waiting for something that Emily can't determine. 

_*Splash*_

Naomi dives gracefully into the water and she's more than halfway across the pool when she surfaces. Emily allows her eyes to drink in every curve, every muscle, every long stroke as Naomi swims. It's a graceful ballet of muscles, timing, breathing and water, and Emily's not sure she's ever seen anything more beautiful. She's been watching for a few weeks now and still she finds herself mesmerised as Naomi glides through the water like she was born to do it. 

The minutes fly by far too quickly (even though Emily's positive that Naomi swam a few extra laps this morning), and before Emily's ready to face what might happen next, Naomi's pulling herself out of the water and ringing out her hair as she towels off. 

Naomi's eyes find her again, and the same shy smile from before settles on her face, only this time it's accompanied by a pinkness in her cheeks. It occurs to Emily that she's been staring (and, okay, maybe perving a bit) and that Naomi's rather acutely aware of that fact. She finds herself blushing in response. 

She searches her brain for words to say to make things less awkward. She wants to let Naomi know that she's not going to pressure her. She wants to let Naomi know that things don't have to be awkward between them. She wants to let Naomi know that she doesn't have to be self-conscious around her. She wants to let Naomi know that they can still be just friends. (God, she doesn't want to lose Naomi as a friend.) 

She wants to let Naomi know that she's fallen for her completely and is hers for the taking. She thinks she shouldn't. 

She opens with, "Good swim?"

Naomi wraps her towel around her waist as she nods. "Yeah. Thanks."

There's a slight furrow to her brow and a flash of an expression that Emily can't quite read as she says it.   
"Did you have a good rest of your weekend?"

Naomi makes her way towards where Emily's sitting, hair still dripping large drops onto the floor. "Yeah. It was quiet. Chilled at Ef's yesterday morning then had a relaxed swim. Then homework. Nothing big. You?"

What Emily wants to say, but knows she mustn't is: "I thought about kissing you over and over again. I thought about how amazing your lips feel on mine. I spent hours imagining getting to kiss you again and envisioning what it might be like to be your girlfriend."

Emily actually says: "Same. Homework mostly. And I got subjected to Katie dishing about how great a shag Cook is." She makes a disgusted face and Naomi rolls her eyes. 

"Delightful."

"Oh yeah." 

"Did she tell you how he likes having his balls grabbed?"

Emily cringes and then a horrible thought strikes her. "You didn't..."

"No! No. Definitely not. Effy."

"Really?"

"Once upon a time."

"Like, they dated?"

"I suppose you could call it that."

"Is that why she keeps hitting on Katie? Is she trying to keep her away from Cook?"

"Oh, no. Not at all. She's actually interested in Katie for some reason."

"I just don't understand it. Katie's straight."

"So you keep saying."

"Trust me, if you'd heard the way she was going on about Cook yesterday, you'd believe it too."

Naomi cocks her head to the side and her expression changes. "And did you...I mean, you know, did you tell Katie about...your Saturday night?"

And there it is. A reference, however vague, to their kiss. 

"No," she's quick to answer. Maybe too quick she thinks as Naomi's expression darkens for a split second. 

"I couldn't tell Katie without telling her I'm...that I...you know..."

"Like girls?" Naomi finishes for her. 

"Like you," Emily corrects and instantly wishes she hadn't. 

Naomi's whole body tenses and her face is a mixture of expressions all flitting across it too quickly for Emily to read. Her mind races to find a way to backtrack a little. "Or anyone other than a bloke. She actually suggested I see if Freddie was interested. If she found out I was gay," Emily mouths the word even though she knows they're alone in the pool area, "she'd freak. There's no way that I could have a secret like this from her. That's how she'd see it. And this secret would NOT be okay with her. Trust me, if she wasn't straight this would be a lot easier, but she definitely _is_ to the slightly homophobic degree and -"

"Emily," Naomi cuts her off, and she's half grinning now. 

"Yeah?"

"Breathe."

Emily pouts out her lower lip. "I am." 

"Don't get me wrong, the rambling is cute, but you were getting rather off-topic."

Emily's breath catches in her throat. Had Naomi just called her cute? 

Naomi's smile falters a little and Emily thinks that she must have realised what she said. 

"Anyway, homophobic and 'not straight' aren't mutually exclusive," Naomi adds quickly. 

"Yeah, but I'd know if Katie were..."

"Like she knows you are?"

Emily frowns. "It's not like _I'm_ out shagging my way through the male population of Britain, though."

"Effy's doing her best and she's not completely straight. Anyway, sexuality can be fluid. So Ef always says, at any rate."

The question "given any thought to yours?" is on the tip of Emily's tongue, but she bites it back.   
"Did you mention your Saturday night to anyone else?"

Naomi shakes her head. "Just Ef. I wouldn't out you to someone else without talking to you first." 

"Thanks," Emily says with a smile, although part of her can't help feeling disappointed that Naomi hadn't felt the urge to tell someone about the kiss. Then again, she'd had Effy to talk to...if she'd even wanted to. 

An awkward silence lingers between them, and Emily finds herself watching the drops of water slip from the ends of Naomi's hair (darker now that it's wet) and * _plink*_ onto the floor. 

"I just want you to know that -" Emily begins at the same time that Naomi says, "I should probably go shower."

"What?" Emily asks, laughing uncomfortably. 

"No, you first," Naomi urges. 

"I just wanted to say that you don't have to worry. I'm not going to try to kiss you again or anything. Especially not at school." 

Naomi hesitates before she replies, and when she does it's with a drawn out "okaaaay."

"I didn't want you to feel awkward like I was just sitting here thinking about kissing you all the time." _Liar_ , a voice in Emily's head accuses. 

"Really?" There's disbelief in Naomi's voice, and possibly a hint of...but no, Emily thinks she must be mistaken. Naomi can't be flirting with her. 

"Anyway, what'd you say before?" Emily asks. 

"Just that I should shower before class. Don't want to smell like chlorine all day."

Emily can't help thinking that she doesn't really mind the smell of chlorine. It makes her think of Naomi. She doesn't say so, though. Instead, she smiles and nods. "Guess I'll see you in class, then."

"Yeah." Naomi looks for a moment as if she's about to say something else, but then she turns and heads back to where her track suit and iPhone lie, shooting Emily a little wave over her shoulder before disappearing into the locker room. 

Emily breathes a deep sigh when the door thuds shut behind Naomi. She's survived their first post-kiss encounter with her heart mostly intact. She's in trouble, though, because she knows that she's only going to fall deeper the more time she spends with Naomi and she can't bring herself to entertain the thought of distancing herself from Naomi. Despite the brief moment of potential flirting (which Emily's sure she misread), Emily knows she can't read too much in to their time together. Naomi made her position fairly clear the other night. She's not interested. Not in a relationship, at least. 

Emily sighs again. 

"Whatever you do, Ems, don't fall in love," she mutters under her breath before standing and making her way out of the pool. 


End file.
